Brother in Shade
by Immatureboys
Summary: Feeling overshadowed by his sisters, Lincoln goes through depression that causes him to question his future. (Many thanks to Parasomnico for the artwork.)
1. In Sister's Shadow

**Author Note: Many thanks to my friend Wolvenstrom for the insight, ideas and Beta-Read to create this story**

* * *

In the middle of the downtown slums, the chime of clock signaled the stroke of noon. He felt the rising sun over his shuteyes. Added to the mix were the sounds of sirens going off like an alarm. Out of his box and blankets, he came out of, as was another day for the homeless person got up from the alley. As he got up, he slipped into his hooded jacket and beanie. Making his way through the crowd of people, he held out his bandaged hand.

"Have any change you can spare?" The homeless man asked the first civilian, only to be silently shoved. He asked the next person. "Got any change please?"

"Get a job you dead-weight!" The person exclaimed, looking at the homeless person with utter disgust. The son of the man looked at the homeless man with curiosity, until his father pulled him away. "Come on son; don't get to close to those filthy people. Honestly, it's disgraceful."

The homeless person took a sad sigh as he made his way to his basket cart. Aside from himself, all he had was the clothes on his back. As he grasped it, he started to make his daily rounds from trashcan to dumpster. Another day on the cold isolated streets begins, not that any day was pleasant for any homeless person on the streets. One day and another led to more and more complications and challenges. Even so, the young man tried hard every day to look past the negative to find a positive, even if most people did not.

He stopped from one secluded area after another. When he made his way to the streets, he did not see an oncoming car. It was only until the horn alerted him as he quickly moved out of the way. It was a narrow escape for the man only to be yelled at by the incoming driver. As his butt was on the ground, he was offer a hand from someone. By the look of that someone, his situation was no different from him. He was also dressed up in old clothes with a barely shaved beard on his face.

"Careful out there son," He said. "Are you okay?"

He barely caught his breath, "Yeah I'm fine."

"I see you new to this situation huh."

He was already in a bad situation enough as it is. The last thing he needed was a constant harsh reminder. He got back on his feet and shoved the man away, trying to help him. "I said I'm fine, I'm anything but you right now. So do me a favor and leave me alone." He said coldly.

The homeless young man continued his search. Like a raccoon, he salvaged trashcan from trashcan of cans, bottles and food left over. Anything it took to make a living out here was enough for him. In the mean streets, it was almost like a dog-eat-dog world, or in this case first come first serve. Often at times, he would run into rats and other rodents, other times the trashcans would be empty. Just any piece of food alone would fill his tummy with great satisfaction. Anything to stop the massive aches as it was a day of not eating anything.

Fortune then smiled upon him as he found a half-eaten sandwich. Usually, his first instincts would be to deny it because of where it has been, but his stomach was demanding food no matter what. As he dusted it off, he munched on it like a squirrel cracking nuts. Was not the most pleasant way to get food, but at least he got something in his stomach. He only hopes he could get fresher foods and that sandwich did not come with side effects later. It would be hard to find a public restroom with some of the businesses without demanding a fee. Personally, he always found it stupid that paid restroom existed even at this time.

"And so we have another exciting day for our racecar drivers." The TV said as the homeless man stopped in his tracks. On the big screen appeared the famous racecar driver Bobby Fetcher. As the cameras were on her, she gave a wave to her fans. Then the Loud Grease Monkey made her way to the camera, now an honorary pit-crew member of Bobby Fetcher. Shoulder and shoulder they stood side for the big upcoming racing competition.

"Lucky," The young adult scoffed angrily as he walked away.

On his way into the streets, he continued his savage for cans and bottles. Little as it was, it served as the only means of income on the streets aside from the usual panhandling. He did not have a basket full, but it was enough to a height for some cash. In this harsh situation, just about anything was better than nothing. On his way to the store, he felt their stares from a mile away as he covered his face with his hood in shame. Even if some eyes were on him, he wished he were invisible.

While on the walking on the streets, he stopped to glance at a family. He watched as a father was being drop off at work. The father smiled seeing his family off as he gave his wife and three kids' goodbye kisses. With his suit and suitcase, he was off to make a difference in the world. The homeless young man felt very envious of that man and his comfortable lifestyle. He wished he had that kind of life, but as he looked at his dirty self, circumstances had made it difficult for him.

As his family drove off, he was on his way to the office.

"Excuse me sir, sir wait up!" He called out. The man in the suit stopped and turned around to see the homeless person. He glanced at him, but not with revolt, but with bewilder. "You dropped your wallet and your phone." He said returning the objects.

The man received it and took a second glance at the homeless person.

"Don't worry, everything is inside." He assured.

The man in the suit smiled at the homeless person, "Thanks a lot, pal. You do not seem like other homeless people, and you are quite young for your age. What's your name?"

"It's Lincoln," He introduced himself back.

"Well thank you again Lincoln, I mean it."

Lincoln put a smile on for the man, trying to show his helpful side, "No problem just doing my part to help as I always do…" The homeless man stopped as he saw his basket of cans and bottles taken away by people. "Hey, you, give that back!" He ran after thieves.

"Hey wait Lincoln, I want to…" He stopped as he checked his watch and went towards his shift to work.

He gave chase to the other people. They were within sight as he chased them down the block. He tried to catch up as soon as he can, but as he made to the end of the block, the thieves were already gone. All his hard earn products were gone before his very eye. What a day this turned out to be for his young life on the streets. His troubles did not stop there when he made it to an alley corner. A garbage truck was in his pathway. It gave few horns before rolling forward.

* * *

Upon contact, a flash came before his eyes as the middle-child was back in his own room. As he looked around, it was still the darken morning and everyone was still asleep at the time. Feeling parched, he stepped downstairs. When he grabbed himself a cup of water, he saw an image through the water of his future self, broke, alone and homeless. It stared at him with blankness and misery in his eyes, which sent a shiver down Lincoln's spine, nearly making him drop his drink.

"It's only a matter of time." The image said to him in a cold a bitter tone.

Lincoln tried to shake the image out of his head. "That's it, no more Peanut-Butter and Sauerkraut before bed."

Lincoln then took a walk to the Trophy Room. There he once again glanced at the glass cabinet of the Loud Sister's accomplishments. The list was all there. Each and one of those trophies not only highlighted their accomplishments but the passions that shape them. It started with Lynn's trophies in athleticism , to Lisa Nobel Prizes in the field of science, Lola's Pageant Crowns and scepters, Luna's Talent show wins, and the list went on for the others.

The more he looked at the trophies, the more sadden he it had increased. It made him feel like nothing. Sure he had a trophy of his own labeled 'Most Improved Brother', yet even he could figure out that it wasn't earned from anything major, at least as far as consolation prizes go. It was nothing to brag about as far as the world goes. Compared to the sister's trophies, Lincoln's was nothing worth mentioning or getting excited about. Through the reflection of the mirror sadness and hopelessness, begin to fill his face. Soon his future image made his way through the mirror again, staring at him with the same expression Lincoln was feeling.

Again, Lincoln shook off the image; he must have been too tired.

* * *

Morning sun raised among Royal Woods as Lincoln was the first one up. He sat by himself with his bowl of cereal. There he read the latest issue of Ace Savvy where one of his siblings turned evil due to they're jealousy for the hero. All because one was, a big shot and the other was not, which created conflict among the issues. It was certainly not Lincoln's usual comic he red on his daily life. It just made his life even more questionable, not even his favorite superhero was enough to bring a smile to his face, only frowns.

Disturbing his train of thought, Lincoln's ten siblings made their way downstairs. As usual, they were in their bright moods prepared for another day. Too bad Lincoln did share their morning enthusiasm now. As they sat down the table for breakfast, Lincoln remained his spot. He did not bother to move, just sat quietly to himself.

"So anybody coming to see me for Poet Night, I've been working hard on some new poems?" Lucy announced.

"You know it?" The other sisters agreed.

"Hey don't forget the see me at the Junior Comedians at the Chortle Portal, they are really expecting an epic encore, get it?" Luan made a pun with a wink, which leads to everyone groans except Lincoln who remained silent.

"I still have Little Rodeo Competition coming up. I'll give that pig the ride of a lifetime. I would do bulls, but mom and dad won't let me." Lana added.

"I got a big day for the golf tournament this afternoon. You are coming to support me, right?"

Not want to hear this conversation further Lincoln walked out of the kitchen, just the constant reminders of his sister's activities were enough to make him feel even worst then he already has. All of the Loud Sisters had their own talents and activities outside the Loud House, yet Lincoln did not have any activities worth mentioning.

"Hey Lincoln, you are still coming to my golfing tournament?" Lori called out to Lincoln.

"Sure whatever is on the run," Lincoln mumbled in a melancholy mood.

Lori lifted an eyebrow at Lincoln's sudden response.

"I mean; sounds like fun!" Lincoln corrected, putting on a fake smile for his sisters, hiding his sadness.

* * *

Saturday Morning was here as the Loud Family had a big day of activities for the siblings. It was going to be a long day ahead of him. Much as he did not want to go, he knew he had to. God knows that he did not want to repeat a past mistake not long ago. Keeping to his unhappy word, Lincoln participated in his sister's activities supporting them. Throughout the day, he silently showed his support through the audience.

The day started with Lynn Jr. Ice Hockey match. Of course, knowing her completely competitive nature, her interest in sports was never limited. Lincoln watched as Lynn came at extreme speed with the puck. She passed through other hockey players as if they were bushes. Making it to the end goal, with a twirl and swing, she knocked the puck under the goalie. Seeing how Lynn was almost a pro at Hockey, it has not surprise him all that much, even with her rough nature.

Lynn Jr. had the look of both determination and passion. The family felt that determination drive as they watched her play with a grin. Lincoln watched as Lynn was on the ice ring. He could help but admire, but at the same time feel left out. Usually, he would be excited to see Lynn kick butt out there, but right now, that happiness was not there as he stared with a stoic expression. With each victory, she scored; it only made him sign further.

Lincoln held the same emotionless expression for the sisters. Luan was on the search for her latest comedy act. Although she was killing it on stage, Lincoln was the only one not laughing. No matter how much he wanted to support, the enthusiasm was still not in him. Luan's performance only lead to further signs of his moodiness and the family had their eyes on the comedian to notice a thing.

Drums played for the Loud Goth, as she was next. Up on stage, she stood among other Emo and Goth individuals like herself, while her loving family stood out from the crowd. Even if the Poet Club was not supposed to be the happiest place, Lincoln remained unchanged. Even over all the times, he has helped her out with her poems; he did not have the colorful energy. Then again, it must have been the dark mood of the club rubbing off on him.

"You kids did great today, we are so proud of you." Rita complimented as the family chilled at an all you can eat Buffet to celebrate their wonderful day. Everyone but Lincoln was overjoyed.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're going to kick butt once you're in the major leagues Lynn Jr." Lynn Sr. Commented.

"That's the plan pops, they won't know what hit them," Lynn Jr. boasted flexing her arm muscle like a model.

"I mean did you see her out there winning the championship?! They carried her off as if she was a hero! Ahhh they've totally forgot about that incident last season!" Lynn Sr. congratulated his girl, only to be nudged by Rita. "What?" Rita silently points to her quiet son. "Oh sorry; I didn't...you...um. You did really well in that one game you played?" Lynn stumbled over his words, trying to think of something to say to his son that would even resemble a compliment.

Leni quirked an eyebrow, "But dad, I thought you said the only reason he even got that touchdown was because everyone was to shocked by how dumb it was to really stop him?"

Switching the conversation around, "You were great too Luan, you really knocked them, dead sweetheart." Lynn Sr. made his pun.

"It was nothing dad; all I did was crack them up, get it?" Luan chuckled.

As the comments and praise continued, the middle-child sat to himself. Even if he did not have his earplugs, he tuned out all the conversation. Lucky for them he did not fully listen to his past failure. He remained quiet in his own mind with a hand on his face, picking at his food, and barely eating the little scraps that were leftover. Lincoln poked at his small sushi repeatedly with his chopsticks, not knowing what to do next.

None of the happiness was visible to his face. Not that he was not happy with his sister's talents, but had a lot on his mind to pay attention. He watched his family of sister's ramble on as he continued to roll his eyes with every compliment shot their way. It almost made him sick to his stomach, or maybe it was just the raw fish.

"Hey Linky are you coming to my charity fashion show, its tots for a great cause," Leni asked Lincoln.

Breaking away from his silence, Lincoln answered. "Yeah, sure Leni I'm happy to be there."

"You don't sound happy." Leni noticed Lincoln's behavior.

"Of course I am, see." Lincoln lied through his teeth putting on a fake smile, which caught the attention of the family. Lincoln then excuses himself and leaves. "I'm going to hit up the buffet again."

* * *

After a big day, the family came with loud and proud as they always were. As they made it back to the house, the middle-child was a little relieved to have the constant praise and attention put to rest. Just hearing it repeatedly almost gave him a headache. The more reminders that came, the worst he felt about himself. In fact, the family barely noticed Lincoln signing all day.

As Lincoln was on his way upstairs, Lola blocked his path. "Hey big brother, I'm having a Pageant event coming up tomorrow, your appearance is mandatory to me, could I count on you to be there?"

"Yeah Lola, you can count on me," Lincoln answered with the same moody tone but tried his best to keep the same false happy face. No matter how much he tried to remain optimistic, the deepness of his sadness was still there. "I'm going to some rest now, so I'll see you tomorrow."

As he walked away, he hid his true facial expression. Eyes sunk low and face frown became even more visible. With every compliment at his sisters that was tossed, Lincoln's heart sank further away. He was use to in terms of true accomplishments. Through the reflective mirrors, he saw his future self once more staring down at him. One would only hope how long would this misery go on for him.


	2. Shades of Grey

The white-haired young homeless man heart pounded as he was in sight range of the truck. The horns and bright lights were enough to paralyze him with complete fear. Fortunately, he was not at a complete standstill as he quickly moved out of range of the garbage truck. Lincoln caught his breath. He figured that this was a trick by the thieves as he saw a glimpse of their presences. Maybe it was still the shock getting to his head, but he had to get those cans and bottles back.

He left in a rush, but not without being yelled at by the garbage Truck Driver for his recklessness. Lincoln did not have time to deal with that now tried to track the thieves. He was just lucky that the driver did give chase to him next. Lincoln may not have been a detective, but he sure knew track certain things. Knowing the cart was not the most stable, it would be easy the track the object. When he quieted down for few minutes, he heard the squeaky wheel, which indicated his basket cart. Lincoln tracked it through another abandon alley, one not filled with large vehicles.

"Hey," he called out to the thieves. "I would suggest you give that back." He demanded.

"Tough toenails, it's every man for themselves." The thief replied bluntly.

"Please, I really need that back," Lincoln begged, almost on his knees.

The thief thought for a second. "We might be able to give it back to you. That's if you beg more like you mean it."

What else was he going to lose at this rate, so he obeyed? "Pretty please, can I have it back? Look, I don't have any money to give you."

"Nah, I think we will keep it as a down payment, but that watch of yours looks more interesting." The thief glanced at Lincoln's bronze Ace Savvy watch on his right wrist. Lincoln covers up his wristwatch.

"Is there something else you might want besides that? Please, it's all I have left." Lincoln asked, not willing to part with it.

"Nope, either the watch or you don't get your cart back?" the thief thought again. "You know what, I changed my mind. I think I'll just keep the cart and the watch."

Lincoln held his head down. "I see, so that's how it is." As the two thieves started to walk to Lincoln, Lincoln remained perfectly still. When they got close within reaching distance, Lincoln suddenly reacted. He pushed one person on the ground, and Lincoln elbowed the other one in the stomach. While they were down, he snatched the cart and took off running.

"You're going to pay for that you little freak stain!" The thief shouted, chasing after Lincoln.

"Yeah, well you stole from the wrong person, so there!" Lincoln shot back.

He runs away from the thieves as it did not matter where as long as he was away from them. He ran as fast as his long legs could carry his adult body. He counted himself lucky that those sneak attack lessons from his sports sister really came in handy, even if he was never the type to get into an actual fistfight. Still, if she were here, she would waste no time defending her brother as she always did. Even at his adult age, He was still the Man with the Plan of getting out of the tough or at least dangerous situation. However, they would not always have the highest success rate as far as he counted.

In his run, he cut through a crowd of people, including traffic on the roads. He met with honking cars, crossing the streets wrongly, yet he did not let that bother him as he continued his run. Without haste, Lincoln cut through a corner and took a shortcut to the back of a restaurant. Now he was the one out of sight as the thieves were looking for him.

"When I get my hands on that little punk, I'm going to turn him into a human pretzel!" He said, stalking all over the streets.

After that heard the sounds of the cart, they followed the trail. When they found the cart, both of the thieves wasted no time, tackling down the cart and person, only to find out it was not Lincoln. Not only that, but the cart was full of dirty garbage instead of cans and bottles.

Lincoln came out of hiding with his new cart, one that actually has a fixed wheel. "The old bait and switch trick still works after all these years." He whispered to himself.

Lincoln then stepped on a newspaper. Upon one glance, he caught a fascinating as he saw one of his sisters on the paper. He thought he was just seeing things at first, but he was not. On the ink newsprint, he saw his Pageant Princess little sister on the front page. Even at her adult age, she still wore her princess tiara as if she was a real princess. Guess she was used to that kind of style right about now.

As Lincoln red the first headlines, Lola made her Debut in Jolly-Old-England. Funny how Lincoln thought her Pageant career would take her so far, but never this far. Not only was she a Pageant Princess, but she was a Pageant Queen among many. He only hoped that she would keep that nasty attitude and level head of hers together in other to keep fabulous lifestyle.

"Well, at least you made it, congratulations," Lincoln, said tossing the paper into the puddle.

Throwing the thieves off across the street, he was safe for now. He would certainly hate to think what would happen if this situation truly escalated. As a police car rolled by, Lincoln put on his hood and kept his face hidden to avoid further attention then he already drawn. Lincoln was not in the mode for a Q&A from the police at moment.

* * *

As he continued his travel on foot, he began to spot billboards. Each one had a representation of an offer or a job in place. The possibilities and choices were all there. For example, there was a billboard for hiring for County Sheriff's, next there was a sign for truckers requiring a CDL, then there was a billboard for Medical School on becoming a doctor, which might have been the highest demand of jobs right now. Lincoln was sure that his brilliant little sister had it covered, even if she was more of a scientist to then a doctor.

Once again, Lincoln's current situation did not make his chances good. In fact, if asked about his appearance, they would shove him out in seconds. In addition, he was still homeless. Through his lost mind, he wondered what he was going to do next. By the constant rumbling in his stomach, it was clear his health came first.

By the half-full amount in his cart, he was sure to get at least a decent amount. On his way to cash his cans, he suddenly crashed into someone. While Lincoln was down, a man suddenly snatched his cart away from him. Lincoln was shocked if not furious by this outcome. With rage, he chased after the person. This time, he did not care obstacle blocked him.

History repeated itself as someone was robbed Lincoln twice. Lincoln had him within ranged as the person was in fear, running for his life. Moreover, it was not as if Lincoln was going to kill him. He chased him to an abandoned yard with an old car parked inside. Lincoln walk closely as he grasped a metal pole, ready to fight if necessary.

"Hey you, give it back!" Lincoln demanded with fury in his eyes. He grabbed him by the shirt, ready hit the person at any moment.

"Please don't hurt me," The person who took his cart held the eyes of fear.

Lincoln felt pounds to his back, only to find a little girl doing it, "Hey you leave my daddy alone you big bully!" She said to Lincoln.

"Honey, what's going on?" A woman came out of the car along with another kid.

"Stop it; don't hurt my daddy." The other daughter begged.

Lincoln has been put on the spot. From the wife, two daughters, Lincoln was meeting with eyes of fear and desperation. It sure gave Lincoln a crushing blow to be a glance at like some kind of thug. Even if he was very much the victim here, this made him feel like the bad person. Still, it was not the first time he was put in a situation like this. It was really quite unfair when looked at this way.

As he continued to stare at the person with angry in his eyes, Lincoln also analyze his situation. He saw the wife and kids also in the homeless situation as he was. The dirty, raggedy clothes and poor health was a clear indication. To make matters worse, the wife was also pregnant. It was definitely not a pleasant endeavor. Lincoln's anger faded from a frown to sympathetic look as he let go of the man. Sure, Lincoln was mad about getting his stuff taken twice of his stuff, but another side could not blame the father for doing what he did.

"Is this your family?" Lincoln calmed down with a sign.

As the fear left his body, he replied. "Yes, it is."

No matter how much he wanted to rip him apart, he could not possibly take away from his family. Lincoln understood perfectly that the man had to provide for his family. Lincoln did the noble thing and let go of the husband's shirt. He then turned his heel to leave. This left the homeless family in question as the glanced at each other.

"Excuse me...are...you?" The wife was hesitant to ask.

"Don't worry, I won't call the cops," Lincoln stated in calm and collected tone. "You need it more than I do. However; you should start thinking more about your family current situation."

"Wait for what?" He asked.

"Wouldn't want to not see your kids again," Lincoln reminded.

"I understand, but it's only a temporary measure. Please, I don't wanna lose my kids."

"And you think that this is the proper life for them?" Lincoln inquired leaving. "I mean the very next time, you might not be so lucky."

Lincoln continued on his way to leave the homeless family. As he took steps at a time, even he thought about their current living situation. Even if Lincoln did have kids, he would never want to see him living like this. If above anything else, he would want them a nice healthy life, even if he was not going to witness them grow up. Still, despite his predicament, Lincoln's heart did pour out to the poor family, and for that, he had no regrets.

Now he had his own problems to worry about.

* * *

Back to present day, Lincoln heard voices calling out to him.

"Wake up Lincoln, wake up," Lincoln's best friend called to him.

Lincoln was awake, but barely as his eyes were on the flicker. Not keeping his balance, it caused him to slip out of his chair. He heard everyone's laughter as he fell to the floor. Lincoln collapse on the floor but did not feel any major pain even when landing on his head. The homeroom teacher walked up the middle-child with concern in her eyes.

"Are you okay Lincoln?" Mrs. Johnson asked, noticing the broken desk. "Dang it, I told that janitor to replace that chair a week ago."

"Fine Mrs. Johnson," Lincoln replied in a glum tone.

"Why don't you sit up front instead It is much safer there? In addition, I can keep a close eye on you. Consider this your first warning Lincoln, I don't want catch you sleeping in my class again, do I make myself clear?" She scolded the student.

"Yes ma'am," Lincoln answered.

"Man, I thought Mrs. Johnson was going to give you detention after school," Clyde said.

Lincoln's mind wandered somewhere else, as his head was turned the opposite direction from Clyde. As he looked at the lockers, he was only counting the days how long would his school life last for, before his time. Lincoln's mind was somewhere else as he reminisces about the same dream as last night. Another part of his mind was relieved that Mrs. Johnson was not too cross about Lincoln sleeping in class. Lincoln found himself yawning throughout the day.

"Hey Lincoln, everything okay pal?" Clyde inquired, touching his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm fine Clyde…just…well." Lincoln could barely finish his sentence as Clyde looked in his general direction. "Clyde, have you ever wanted to…catch up to someone?"

"Sure, I'm still wondering how Sean Felter can still crush me in Royal Quest pc game." Clyde had remembered.

Lincoln took a sigh and just said as that was not what he was asking, "Never mind, it's nothing."

"Right, want to hit up Gus-Game-N-Grub; I hear there is a special going on for half price?"

Quickly taking him on Clyde offer, the two of them hung out at Gus-Game-N-Grub. Figures if it meant being out of the house, then it was more than enough for him. Not to mention, he could not take his mind off that thought he had about being at the bottom rank. Both of the boys occupied themselves in the Muscle Fish fighting game. They went round after round of brawling action. Little did Clyde know that Lincoln's mind was a focus on something else other than the game? The nerdy best friend always knew that this game was his specialty. Nonetheless, Lincoln kept his silence as he rematches Clyde in the fighting game.

Clyde figured that maybe quietness was Lincoln's way of concentrating, but it did not stop the nerd from winning against Lincoln. Lincoln then went to the next game of Air Hockey. Clyde figured maybe this game might put Lincoln's game face on, yet it led to the same results of Lincoln losing, much to Clyde's happiness. For once in terms of video games, he was actually on top of Lincoln. He was even able to beat his high score.

"Whoo-Hoo, in your face Lincoln!" Clyde boasted in front of Lincoln. Lincoln held a deadpan face in front of Clyde. As they met, Clyde immediately changed his reaction to a normal one. He did not want to seem like he was Lynn Jr. now with her competitive nature. "Nothing personal of course."

"Yeah sure thing Clyde," Lincoln replied with a deadpan tone.

"What's going on Lincoln, you never lose this badly in the games you like?" Clyde suspected as the clues in on Lincolns losing streak.

"Sorry Clyde, I guess I'm just not feeling it today, can we go home?" Lincoln asked leaving out the door.

"Hey, you have any spare change?" A homeless inquired to the boys, sitting outside the Gus-Game-N-Grub.

"Sorry sir, but I don't have any change to give you," Clyde replied to the man, not sounding mean.

Lincoln stopped as he looked at the homeless man. Through his vision, he saw his future homeless self again. He saw himself again with nothing but the ragged clothes on his back, and his own life through the man. He felt his future self constantly calling out to him from this individual. Even in the current day, it haunted him like a ghost. Lincoln then pulled out a ten from his wallet and presented it to the homeless man.

"Here why don't you go get yourself something to eat, alright," Lincoln told the man.

The homeless man felt like he received gold from this nice gesture of Lincoln. "Oh thank you, young man." He took his leave.

Clyde had resisted the urge to ask Lincoln what he just did since it was for a noble cause. Lincoln was in no mode to talk, so the nerd did not bother to pressure him on the situation. Even if they were always open with each other, even Clyde knew there were times when he did not want to talk about things.

An hour as Lincoln came home; he opened his door and witnessed everyone gathering around. Already he was in question of the situation. Everyone gathered around the young athlete as if she was a celebrity. Lincoln peek his head through the crowd.

"Hey Linc, guess who scored a lot of points in the Lacrosse today? This girl," Lynn boasted as she always does. Lynn Jr. held a trophy over her head.

Lincoln was anything but surprised, "Isn't that convenience?"

"Come on; was there any reason to doubt my awesomeness?" Lynn asked.

"That's great sweetheart, I think we might need a bigger trophy case." Lynn Sr. said.

"Don't you have enough trophies?" Lincoln asked.

"Not when it comes to a natural like me? Sooner or later, those scholarships are going to be lining up."

"We are so proud of you girls. We are sure you have great futures ahead of you." Rita added.

Next thing Lincoln knew, the parents brought their old photo album. Each of the Loud Siblings gathered around to look at old memories of their events. One photo contained Lynn Jr. old soccer competition. The second photo was Luna's junior talent show, scoring first place with her rocking performance. While scrolling through the photos, they came across Lori making the Varsity Golf team.

It only continued with Leni's first goddess sculpture, and Lucy's first grace digging contest. For each photo that was to view, it only brought a further frown on his face. Lincoln's sisters had more things to really worth wild. The only thing that was present in the photo album was his birthday and baby photos. There were barely any photos of his success. For each reminder of what his sisters got and Lincoln did not get, it only made him drift further from his family? He imagined himself below and his sisters above the highest mountain. They only grew higher from each win, and Lincoln remained at the very bottom barrel. He felt himself descending to bottom level as he could not hear or see his sisters.

"Wait!" Lincoln called out of his imagination, only to have his family stare at him awkwardly. It was the center of attention, but not the way he wanted. "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back before dinner." Lincoln left out the door. As he sat on the front steps that night, both hands placed on his face. When seeing his future self through the puddle, it was very clear that his purpose only spelled failure.

It would only go so far from here.


	3. Darker Shades

Since giving his cans and bottles away, he had to find another source of income. Still, he had no regrets as it was for people who really needed it. With the limited change had, it was not enough to get a piece of can soda. Hopefully, Lincoln could find more loose change lying around whether they were nickels of penny's or even more cans and bottles for the taking. He also had to be aware of other competitors on the streets.

He also had to worry about his food situation as he felt the constant rumbles. It was not in just begging for food, it was demanding food. With each ache, Lincoln told his tummy that food would be coming soon, no matter how much he was unsure. When he heard someone throwing out the garbage, it was a clear signal to do some hunting. As no one was in sight, Lincoln went into the dumpster. He strolled through the amount of black trash bags.

Trash after trash, he went through every bag of garbage. It was not until he found a bag of a trash bag that contains many donuts. By the looks and smell, it was clear that they were still fresh. It put a smile on his face of finally finding something after hours of nothing. He exited the trashcan with a box of donuts, as he was successful in finding food again.

"Hey what are you doing in my house?" A homeless person angrily shouted in the place as Lincoln. No doubt, the man was claiming this area as his home grounds like a gang member.

"Oh just dropping by and leaving," Lincoln shouted as he ran away with his box full of donuts, he grabbed. Once again, someone was chasing Lincoln. It was easy this time to get away as the homeless man did not have much adrenaline for his age. It was a large relief for him.

Lincoln was happy that he got something in his belly even of donuts was not the suitable meal to start the day. He had munched through the number of donuts and bagels. He barely wondered why the man threw out good donuts. Personally, he prefers a good brand of cereal or at least a bed in breakfast. Just when he thought he was in the clear, Lincoln's stomach stated toss and turn.

"Dang it," Lincoln moaned in pain as his stomachache.

He felt something coming on inside his stomach. It felt like a bomb ready to explode. As cut through a crowd of people, he quickly rushed to the nearest restroom. It reminded Lincoln of his bathroom battle back at home. Every day he had to deal with a crowd, of but not by his sister's. Lynn's adrenaline coursing through him as Lincoln continued his run to get to his destination.

"Ugh, now I see why he threw those donuts out," Lincoln came out of the restroom, still feeling stomach sores. "You might not want to go in there for a while," Lincoln told a person who was also waiting for the restroom. Boy; were they going to be in for a rude awakening by the time he gets there.

It was the fifth time this week; the white-haired adult had received food poisoning. He still felt stomach sores as he came from the doctor's office. Fortunate was clearly not on his side as he dealt a bad hand consuming raw food. He still felt that raw taste in his mouth, no matter how much water he drank. Well, at least his stomach was not rumbling anymore.

"Man what I would give for a taste of dad's homemade Lasagna right about now or at least his homemade pudding." Lincoln thought to himself, holding his stomach.

As held the old donuts in his hands, he groans in disgust. He tossed them in the nearby trashcan, leaving them for someone else, did not care whom at this point.

While homeless, one thing that has not change was his love for Ace Savvy. Around every month, he would always look forward to the new release. At the local comic book store, he caught up with the latest issue. Unfortunately, time was limited to him as the store owner kept tabs of every customer that came in. As sadly, Lincoln could not enjoy his comic in the piece as he once did.

"Hey you, this isn't a library, buy something or get out!" The store worker called out, noticing that Lincoln has been in the shop for an hour.

He was just getting to the good part of his favorite hero. Looking at his loose change, there was no way he could afford it. It sure sucks not having allowance at his age.

As laid on the hard ground, he debated his next move. From the people and the blue sky, he watched as time move very slowly. One the biggest downside about being homeless was not being able to do much. Boredom was all over the place in the streets. Any homeless person would just spend the day either drinking or drug using without a purpose, but not Lincoln. Lincoln kept away from that stuff on the count that he did not want to look desperate and pathetic like he was not even trying. Lincoln was trying, as every day was a battle for him.

While lying in the alley, Lincoln listened in a radio coming from an apartment.

"This is the latest sympathy perform by our latest orchestra artist, dedicating to the young female scientist Dr. Loud, helping cure the deadly plague among the country of Kenya." The radio station stated. "And we also dedicate this to viewers like you; thank you."

Lincoln heard it, therefore; he was not surprised by it. "Looks like you finally made it Lisa, you're making all the difference in the world." Lincoln pouted angrily kicking the trashcan.

From step within the concrete surface, he counted the day when it would end. Nevertheless, the more he looked at his current situation, the more hopeless it seems.

The quietness was then disturbed as the young homeless Lincoln got piled. A waterfall of trash came down on him. It was not a little amount of trash, it was a whole trashcan. Soon the trash started to bury him as he could barely see or breathe. No one could not hear Lincoln's sudden screams for help as he tried to get out.

* * *

After the final hit, Lincoln found himself back in bed. He was back to the regular day. However, he gotten hog-tied by the youngest twin. This was not a good morning as Lincoln was trapped. Not only that, but it only annoyed him.

"Ugh dang it Lana, didn't I tell you before no sneak attacks while I'm asleep," Lincoln said irritated.

"Sorry Lincoln, I really need to practice for my bullfrog catching the match, and most of the others are often cranky in the morning," Lana replied flexing her muscles. "Figured you be the perfect test dummy since you were asleep."

"Gee thanks," Lincoln said back in annoyed if not unhappy tone.

"By the way, you might wanna get up?"

"Get up for what," He inquired in confusion.

"Lisa is accepting her Noble Prize," Lana answered.

"Indeed siblings, I finally found a way to for cure the soreness of bed bugs, now everyone from homes to hotels can sleep peacefully." Lisa came in proudly announced.

"Big deal," Lincoln said in mid-angry.

"It most certainly is a big deal elder brother, study shown that most common bed sore, cramps, bladder problems and even massive diarrhea are contrived from bed bugs. It is then said that..." Lincoln rolls his eyes over his genius sister's rambling. Within his other hand, he imitated her constant talking. Lincoln was in no mood to hear anymore put his finger over Lisa's mouth to stop her from talking.

"Whatever Lisa I get it, let's just get this over with," Lincoln said in a tone of moodiness grabbing his shoes.

The day was still the same as he watched the young four-year-old receive her reward. The Loud Family held their happy face with proudest as Lincoln watch disinterestedly at the event. At this rate, he was just counting down the time when it will be over. With Lisa's knowledge, Lincoln knew that there were no limitations for her vast intelligence. It seems like her future was already set. He only wished he could say the same for himself.

Lincoln never knew that Lisa gross studies would eventually lead to a breakthrough. Then again, Lisa was always odd in her own smart way. Even if Lisa normally showed zero emotions of her scientific achievements, she was still proud of her groundbreaking work. This gave Lincoln all the more reason to sigh further from every praise that was given to Lisa by someone other than the parents.

He could not stand it anymore. Lincoln took another impatient sigh and asked his eldest sister. "Can we go now? Lisa already got her award."

"What's the hurry Lincoln? Lighten up have a good time, go mingle with the girls, we have time to stay here for a few more minutes, stay here and enjoy the grub." Lori stated with a smile.

"Lisa already got her award, so there is no point in staying here."

Lori argued back, "Yeah well I say we stay for the moment, remember when…."

Lincoln held his hand in Lori's face to stop her from saying certain words. "Yeah, yeah, I know, when mom and dad are not around, you're in charge, heard it hundred times." He said in a non-emotional tone. Lori lifted her eyebrow in suspicion at Lincoln's sudden behavior.

"Um, you're right; maybe I will enjoy the events," Lincoln said with false bravado.

Much as Lincoln wanted to enjoy the festivities, he just could not stand to watch his second youngest sister get attention from the community. Many people surrounded her as if she was a pop celebrity. Envy to some, jealously to most and perplex to others. Even on this day, many still wondered how a toddler was able to be a genius at her age. Neither of the thoughts was apparent right much right now.

He watched as Lisa was determined to add her Nobel Prize to the trophy case. It was yet another reminder of what his sister's had and what he did not. He once again saw his future self through the dirty reflective glass plate. Homeless Lincoln still stared at him with that same blank expression. It came as suddenly as it caused Lincoln to drop his plate and shatter to the ground.

He felt a shard of glass impact on his hand but did not have the emotion to say ouch. Not only that, but it also caught the attention of the guest, including his sisters. Lori was the first to rush to his aid.

"Lincoln; are you okay?" Lori asked. She grabbed his hand and saw the wound. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing, guess I was a little clumsy," Lincoln said.

Lori grabbed a napkin and wrapped it around his bleeding hand, "Whatever, just try to be more careful."

* * *

While the sisters were all preoccupied downstairs with their own activities at home, Lincoln decided to stay upstairs himself. As he wandered through the halls, Lincoln's curiosity occurred to him around his sister's rooms. He wanted to find out what had made them so special. Lincoln first destination took him to Lisa and Lily's room. Between Lily's baby toys and Lisa science experiments, it was clear what really made them. All through the nightstand, each book was on different science experiments and exploration. He looked a book and started to read it. No matter how much he tried to understand every word, it only to lead to confusion, confusion, and more confusion. There were too much-complicated words to comprehend. He could not understand how Lisa was able to cram most of this knowledge into her young brain.

For Lincoln's next destination, it took him to Luna and Luan's room. He salvaged through props and joke material. He even looked at Luan's joke book a few times. Most of the jokes he did not get, then again no one ever gets her jokes that much. On the other side of the room, Lincoln glanced at the assortments of Mick Swagger posters and music equipment of Luna's. By the heavy instruments and Amps, it was clear that she was a dedicated musician. In fact, there was not one single day in the house, where she did not shred her ax.

He then passed Lynn and Lucy's room. Lincoln watched as Lucy's side filled with nothing but dark and gothic material. Blackness was all around the dark Loud sister. She was her own horror character. On the other side was the overly active Loud sister. Just about every or anything spell competition in her eyes to succeed. Any type of sport was what she excelled in like a master. The trophies and the jerseys were proving her light in the athlete world. It would take her very far in life. If only she would rely more on her skills and less on her superstitions.

Lincoln then came to his two eldest sister's room. He stood with caution, as Lori had been very clear about Lincoln staying out of her room. He had heard so many times she's threatening to turn him into a Human Pretzel. Even if Lori and Leni were similar in nice clothes, both had different fashion outlooks. Through the different fabrics and fashion magazines, Leni knew what her true talent was. She would often make nice clothes for herself and her loving sisters.

He looked at the Fashionista line of new and old clothes lined up in the closet. Most of the time nice clothes would always lead to massive conflicts with the eldest. Lincoln could still remember the ugly story of their so-called 'Sister Fight Protocol'. Still, where Leni might have sometimes lack brains, she always made up with skills.

Lastly, Lincoln came into the twins rooms. Although Lana and Lola were similar, they were more different then they were worth. He could see the long line of pictures of Lola, nearly covering up the whole wall. Talk about an ego. He knew that massive ego would only get her so far in her Pageant career. As for Lana, she kept all kinds of pets; her most notable was her trusted frog, Hops. Aside from that, Lana had also great plumbing and mechanical skills. Each time the family van was always in a jam, she would often save the day.

After glancing at every sight of his sister's unique talents, it only made him feel more and more ashamed.

"Hey Linky, I need you for something" Leni greeted her brother.

"What is it Leni, one of you fashion ideas that I showed you the other day from the paper?" He asked.

"Really; that paper was one of your fashion ideas, I thought it was a picture from an old coloring book, whoops, sorry Lincoln."

Lincoln groaned and held his hand to his forehead. Even if he knew Leni did not mean it intentionally, he still felt insulted. "Just forget it, alright, I can't right now, sorry," Lincoln replied, trying to hide his irritation, walking away.

"Okay no worries Lincoln," Leni said back.

While doing his daily chores, the female athlete gave Lincoln an unexpected tackle. This only annoyed him through the day.

"Hey Lincoln, need to practice for my upcoming karate match, rumor has it that this team is going to be mighty mean. I could really use a sparring partner."

Lincoln was used to Lynn's roughhousing, but he simply was not in the mood for it. Lincoln on his feet and brushed himself off. "Then I would suggest you practice with one of your teammates. I'm sure many of them would be more than glad to be your practice dummy."

"You say practice dummy, I say sparing partner."

Lincoln gave a loud sigh of annoyance, "Whatever Lynn."

"Whoa, why are you so moody today?"

"It's nothing Lynn," Lincoln replied.

As Lincoln was working on a packet of homework, the comedian barged in. He took an unamused sigh as this was a constant habit he was used to, yet he was not into it right now.

"Hey Lincoln, wanna hear a joke?" Luan asked.

Lincoln did not face Luan working on his homework, "Not now, Luan I'm busy."

"I'll tell you anyway, what did the wind say to the grey cloud?" Luan told Lincoln. "He said; why are you a gloomy gust?" Luan chuckled to herself. "Get it?"

Lincoln lifted himself up from the chair took leave. He walked away without a groan or even a word, much to Luan's question. "I said get it?"

"I get it alright, it just wasn't funny," Lincoln answered in a moody tone.

"Gee Lincoln, when did you become so cold?" Luan joked around handing Lincoln some ice cubes. Lincoln was still not amused by her sense of humor, not that he wanted to be.

Making his way to the fridge, he grabbed a quick drink. As he slams the fridge shut, Lincoln Goth-lover sister appeared out of thin air. Once again, Lucy was the master of mysterious appearances. Times like this, he wondered if Lucy was even human, or maybe the mother had an affair. This time, Lucy sudden appearance did not freak him out as much as it normally does.

"Lincoln, Haiku and I are going to a dark Poetry Club; I can really use your inspiring words. Also, a new coffin just opened up," Lucy offered.

"Um, maybe next time Lucy," Lincoln did not face her as he declined.

With his mind somewhere else, Lincoln occupied himself. He turned on his handheld video game. Unfortunately, however, the skills and concentration still were not there as he found himself losing in every level. It was usually a game he was good in, yet somehow did not seem to have it as much just like at Gus-Game-Grub. No reaction was given to him as he suffered lost after suffering. It was still the same emotionless expression from the past few days. And the game was not even on high difficulty.

"Lincoln!" Screamed the Pageant Princess, nearly making Lincoln's ears ring.

Even if he was used to Lola's screaming, Lincoln was in no mood to hear it as it only annoyed him. He turned to face Lola.

"Come help me with my ribbon dance," She said.

"I can't right now I have homework, why don't you ask the others?" Lincoln politely decline.

"But Linky, you always help me."

"Sorry but I'm busy right now."

Lincoln then tried to read his comics in his underwear, but even with the new edition, it was not enough to satisfy him. No matter how much he wanted to enjoy his daytime activities, it just was not there. It was like all the life energy was literally sucked out of him. As he glances in the mirror, all Lincoln could see is an unhappy Lincoln and his future self. He still was as sad as his current self-was.

Knocks came at his bedroom door as he was interrupted. He answered the door to see the Loud Twins.

"Yes," Lincoln answered in a depressed tone.

"Hey Lincoln, we are having our annual Super Secrets Club Meeting, want to come?"

In his mind, he did not think he deserved to be in the same room as his successful sisters. The more he looked at them, the more he felt like he was in the bottom barrel. He could neither hear or see them.

"No thanks, I'm fine," Lincoln, answered back.

"Come on Linky, it will be fun, I told you before I won't tattle as much anymore," Lola added.

"Not this time, you two," Lincoln said, putting on another false smile. "You have fun without me."

Lola and Lana took a glance at each other. "Um, okay Linky whatever you say," Lana said.

Throughout the day, Lincoln mope around in bed with a lot on his mind. He kept it to himself trying to make it look obvious or to be shown. To keep his mind further occupied, he started to develop Lynn's habit of bouncing a ball to the wall.

As Lincoln's eyes slowly close shut, he found himself back in his corner doing the same thing. Even as his adult age, the habit did not leave him. Still being on the streets, there was not much to do at his rate. With his back on the wall and butt on the ground, he watched the cold world past him by. It was like a never-ending void of despair.

He awoke from his mid-dream. Feeling light-headed, Lincoln made himself to the restroom. With water in his hands, he splashed it on his face. As he glances at himself in the bathroom mirror, he saw himself, then transformed into his homeless self. Either he was going crazy or he was just tired as he kept seeing homeless Lincoln.

"How long will you keep fighting it?" Homeless Lincoln told current Lincoln. "You know it's unavoidable."

Lincoln held his head down, "Maybe it is."


	4. Paranoia

With his eyes on the ground and hands in his jacket pocket, Lincoln scroll down the busy downtown streets. Like any other homeless person, he was alone and isolated from the world. From every toe that touched the concrete surface, he wondered with would be the next plan, assuming if he had the next plan. One thing was sure, his money situation made him bound to the downtown area.

Outside of endless wondering, he was finding himself vomiting and going number two constantly, due to the heavy amounts of food poisoning he has endured. Lincoln was also fighting hunger. Every minute that passes, Lincoln stomach rumbled like a nagging wife. It was aching in pain after a day of no food in his belly. Now he was starting to wonder if truly wanted to part with his things to help that needy family. However, his current standing was not any better as he had a minimum strength.

As he went into the market, he saw a line of food stands. Everything included freshly cooked foods to boxes of fruits and vegetables. With every glance, Lincoln bellyached more in pain. He also licked his lips, as he could taste the savory goodness. One thought came to him to steal a piece but was not sure, if he was bold let alone enough to take under the market man. Besides, in most countries, they would often punish thieves by cutting off their hands as punishment. He would certainly hate to be in that situation. One way or another, he had to eat something.

On his venture, Lincoln caught sight of a couple of teenage kids and an adult. The adult whispered to one of the kids as he proceeded first. One of the kid's went grabbed an apple, while the other sneaked around the market keeper. As the kid stole the apple, it drew the marketer attention in an angry manner. Before he was set to grab one of the brats, his leg was suddenly snuggled. Shoelaces were tied together and leg was tied to the stand that lost his balance, causing the fruit stand to collapse. He watched with agony as all his fresh products rolled out to the street, and the crooks got away with a handful of fruits.

The citizens had watched, laughed and pointed their camera phones at the owner's most embarrassing display. He jumped up and down like a child having a temper tantrum. Angry fill his face as he started swearing a mouthful, not caring if there were children present and children were present as parents covered their ears.

While the show was still going on, Lincoln went on to gather the fruits on the ground for himself. Since it hit the floor, it was already unsellable. While the screaming foul mouth owner distracted everyone, Lincoln kept himself occupied. On his toes, he began to gather as much food as he can. In his head, technically, it was not stealing he considered it salvaging. Although one part of him would have just done the right thing and returned it to its owner, the other part was more concern about his own survival.

Lincoln went through piles of apples, oranges, mangos, and Kiwi as if he was in an eating contest. Although it was not the honest way to get food, he got something in his stomach. He sat in the alley enjoying the juicy goodness as Lincoln felt his strength returning. Hard to believe, he had those hooligans to thank for his hall. In addition, Lincoln still had a lot of food leftover.

The shop owner made his way through the alley. "Hey you, did you see a couple of crooks come by here recently?"

"No I haven't," Lincoln denied with a headshake.

"I see, then maybe they are somewhere else." The owner replied.

When he took off leaving, Lincoln waited until he was out of sight. "You can come out now, he's gone," Lincoln called out.

Inside the trash can, had appeared the teenage thieves and the adult guardian. "That was a close one, hey thanks for covering for our pal."

"Don't mention it," Lincoln said.

"Still, we owe you," The man gave Lincoln some extra loose change. "Here is a little something for your trouble."

Lincoln was now fully energized as he got up on his feet. He did a couple of stretches and then proceeded upon his merry way. Since he had a lot of food leftover, it gave him an idea.

He went back to the yard where he met the poor homeless family. He knocked on the covered tinted windows. The husband was the first to answer as he opens the car door. By the look inside the car, the family had a large supply of food thanks, Lincoln's cans, and bottles.

"I just thought you guys might use some extra food." Lincoln offered a bag full of fruits. "Just consider it the fruits of my labor," Lincoln cracked a joke, much to the homeless family dismay. Guess his comedian sister was starting to rub off on him. He could only wonder how she was doing now. "Sorry, it's just a little food humor."

As Lincoln gave the final wave to the family, he took his leave. He looked at his watch to find out that it was still the afternoon, which means he still had a full day ahead of him.

While at times the Lincoln could be selfish, he still had the heart to help others in need. Judging from the homeless family standing, they needed the most supplies. Lincoln could help but admire the father still looking after his kids, no matter what. At his adult age, he was just glad not they have kids now. Even so, he certainly would not want his own kids to see him like this.

Lincoln then tried his luck in panhandling again. This time, he followed others by having signs instead. He grabbed a black marker and piece of the box. He wrote, "Broke and lonely college student needed funds to get by, anything helps, and thank you."

He only hoped that would get him some more change even if it were not much. He tried being at a nearby store, but security was strict for homeless panhandling at a nearby business. He did not want to be hall off by the police for trespassing. Therefore, he tried his luck on the middle street. Between cars going on different lanes, he held his sign.

As usual, it leads to many ignore, and some rudely driving by. Then, one person called him over from their car. Lincoln went over with a smile.

"Sure hate to be you right about now; loser!" The person from the car mocked Lincoln and tossed his drink in his face. He drove away very fast, causing Lincoln's smile to fade away.

The white-haired adult was sad and annoyed by this outcome. He wiped the seed liquids from his face. Still, it was not the first time Lincoln was mistreated as a homeless person. Between brutal assaults, yelled at, and robbed, this was nothing. Just another day of beating down the homeless like, they were unnecessary parasites. Still, despite his standing, he tried to remain positive.

Another person signaled Lincoln to come to their vehicle and he obeyed. Lincoln walked over with calm and collected face, expecting more mistreatment. However, this time was different as the individual gave Lincoln some change. No insults or negative outburst was included in this gesture.

"Thank you," Lincoln said with a smile.

Just out of that gesture alone was enough to give him hope. He only wished he could say for the rest of the city. Even if he had more change then before, it was still not enough to get him by throughout the day. Still, it was better than nothing because he literally had nothing.

He waited to respond to the next vehicle. As he glanced at a police car nearby, he silently took his leave, not knowing the sign "no soliciting or panhandling."

As he crosses the street, he was honked and yelled by an oncoming car. He then fell right into a manhole."Watch where you're walking you idiot!" The worker in the manhole shouted shoving Lincoln out. "The sewers have enough filth without you broken deadbeats around."

"Okay, okay I'm going already," Lincoln shot back.

For the second task of the day, Lincoln spent his time on the city Library computers. Surfing the internet, he searches a wide amount of things he missed on during his homelessness. While on the latest Eye-Tube, he found his sister's channel, still active. One the many changes he noticed in this page are amount subscribers and followers numbers had grown exponentially. It was now in the half a million mark.

Even back then, Luan had a lot of online popularity. Now Luan's popularity spread like a wildfire. He even started to notice new videos during Luan's adult years. As he looked at her latest videos, it was clear that her comedy career had expanded. It went from doing prank videos to stand-up, and even random funny video with some good one-liners. This was now a clear indication that Luan was popular on the internet.

As continued to look at the videos, it made Lincoln suddenly reflect upon his past actions. He remembers the day how much he was desperate to win, but did not achieve victory. Lincoln's online popularity came at cost of his sister's affections. Even until this day, he wondered how a stupid hamster was able to gain lot praise, and yet Lincoln's stunt videos did not. Guess people had different interest when it came to the internet.

"You must be really proud sis," Lincoln muttered to himself. He heard the laughter of a kid laughing at Luan's video right next to him. She even made comments, and subscribe to her videos, this gaining more popularity.

They all grow up so fast.

* * *

Hearing the alarm clock go off, Lincoln awakens from his slumber. The same dream continued to haunt him. With the palm of his hand, he slapped the off switch on his alarm clock. He rose from bed, rubbing the sand from his eyes as he prepared for another week. Now he can see why a certain fat cat hated Mondays.

"Another day ahead of us," Homeless Lincoln reminded Current Lincoln through the mirror.

"Yeah, so it is," Lincoln, responded, not in good spirits.

Still keeping his same stoic expression, Lincoln started with waiting for the bathroom in the same typical fashion of the long line. At times like this, Lincoln wondered if there could ever be another bathroom. The next thing was sitting down for breakfast. Since it was Lynn Sr. day off from work, he made an extravagant meal for his family. Bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast, and oranges were set for a big day. The kids want all out getting their feast on.

"Sorry Linc too slow," Lana said grabbing the sausage before the middle-child could touch it. Lincoln somehow did not react to getting his food taken.

He tried to grab strips of bacon but caught off guard by his Rockstar sister. "Better luck next time bro," Luna exclaimed.

"Beauty before age big brother," Lola said snagging the toast from Lincoln's grasp.

"Sorry Linc, really need that balanced breakfast," Luan said intercepting Lincoln's attempts at the orange juice.

Even if breakfast was the finest meal of the day, Lincoln had no reaction to the chaos. While on his way to the door, he stopped to glance at the Trophy Case again. It once again served as a constant unfortunate reminder of what his sisters had that he did not. Not once did he complain about not getting enough meals as his sisters fought over like wolves. On his way to school, his mind was still in the clouds. When his best friend gave his greetings, Lincoln silently waved back.

"So how's it going man?" Clyde asked.

"Oh, you know the usual, just like every day," Lincoln replied still in the same dejected tone.

During his stroll through the hallways, Lincoln accesses his locker. After the final combination, he found himself bombarded by a spring pie to the face, laced with hot sauce. Lincoln did not even need to guess who was responsible for such a dirty trick. Nevertheless, he shook it off and proceeded on his path. Clyde was perplexed by his sudden behavior but did not question it. If all, he figured that it was just a faze Lincoln was going through. He only hoped that Lucy's influence did not rub off on him.

The next period after PE, Lincoln was left with another surprise. When he took his usual seat, he sat on a plate of greasy food, thus there left a huge brown stain on his pants. Everyone noticed and once again laughed at him as Lincoln was still unfazed, much to Clyde curiosity. The snow-haired child did nothing but take a trip to the restroom as Clyde followed. It was the second week he had to put up with this abuse as Lincoln was in no mood for it. Sure Lincoln may have been everyone's punching bag back at home, but not so much in school.

"Hey Lincoln, if you want to go number two, try doing on the toilet next time." A student mocked Lincoln and laughed at him.

Clyde watched as Lincoln tried to scrub the stain off his pants in the restroom. Clyde could not take it anymore, so he decided to break the silence. "Okay I'm just going to ask, are you okay Lincoln?" Clyde inquired. "You know it would not hurt to give Ronnie Anne a piece of your mind."

"What do you mean Clyde?" Lincoln inquired back.

"Don't play dumb Lincoln, I knew you for a while, and you're never usually the type to mope around or be Ronnie Anne's punching bag, so what's up?" Clyde grabbed Lincoln's shoulder.

Lincoln shoved his hand away, "It's nothing Clyde."

"Your reaction says otherwise man; Dr. Lopez always said that..."

"Oh, will you shut up Dr. Lopez?" Lincoln shot back in mid-anger.

"Okay, okay, chill, I was just concerned that's all," He said trying to calm Lincoln down.

Lincoln took a breather, "Sorry Clyde, a lot is on my mind right now." Clyde stood curiously about Lincoln situation. "I just don't wanna talk about it okay."

"You sure," Clyde responded with a concerned gaze. "You know you can tell me."

As the heard the bell, they knew it was time. "Head back to class Clyde, I'll meet you there," Lincoln told and Clyde obeyed.

After Lincoln was finish scrubbing his pants, he slipped them back on. As he came out of the restroom, he opened the door to find a bucket of the water on him. It was bad enough to deal with the oldest prank in the book at home, but now in public school. Once again, Lincoln was soaked and the laughter came to him. "Are you freaking kidding me?" Lincoln shouted.

"Still wetting the bed at your age Lincoln? What are you, four-years-old?" Another kid mocked at Lincoln's situation.

Furious, Lincoln ran down the halls to find his aggressor but was already gone. She must have already headed back to her class before the bell. He took an angry sigh, as Lincoln did not know what came over him. It was a minute away, but Lincoln made it to class despite his wet condition. This caught the attention of his friends and the homeroom teacher. Lincoln's friends had resisted the urge to laugh at Lincoln's current predicament. Even Mrs. Johnson had the urge to laugh but did not. Lincoln noticed their glances.

He turned to them, not in the best of moods and said, "Not a word."

* * *

Having a full bladder, Lincoln rushed to the bathroom, only to find it already in use. At first, he thought someone was just using it. He held between his legs, trying to hold it in. Nevertheless, by the sounds of the running water, it was clear that someone was inside. It really sucked having one bathroom.

"Luna, will you hurry up, you been in there for almost an hour!" Lincoln banged on the door. There was no response. "Come on, I'm serious, move it already!"

"Bathroom is all your little bro," Luna said, coming out.

"Ugh, must you take freaking forever while you're in the shower! I mean you can sing pretty much anywhere." Lincoln nagged and shoved Luna.

Luna was half-insulted, "Gee sorry; take a chill pill bro, what's eating you?"

"Nothing just forget it alright," Lincoln said, slamming the bathroom door, leaving Luna in shock and question.

Hey Lincoln, I am reading fortunes, care to hear yours?" Lucy offered.

Knowing his past experience from fortune telling and his day at school, Lincoln put on a frown. "That would be a super hard pass."

"You sure, you might end up end up with something pleasant instead of unpleasant."

"Don't remind me, I'm not in the mood right now for your bogus fortunes." Lincoln grumpy replied. Since the recurring dreams, he already knew his fate. The last thing he needed was another constant reminder.

"Suit yourself, but it's been already proven that the cards never lie."

"Hahaha, that will teach that Pageant Judge not to give me a three for a spectacular performance from yours truly."

Lincoln caught Lola engaged in another one of her revenge schemes. He may not have seen the whole video Lola was watching, but it was clear that her footprints were all over the person. He watched as the Judge reeked of fish, so he was chased by a lot of cats. Lola took a great amount of glee at the man's suffering. Lincoln shook his head in disbelief as he expected this from little sister.

"Was that really necessary?" Lincoln inquired to Lola.

"He gave me a low score for my dance performance I worked so hard for. Someone needed to give him a reality check."

"You know you are not going to get anywhere in life if you think everyone deserves payback just for doing you wrong," Lincoln scolded Lola.

"Hey; who side are you on anyway?"

"Just the side with the most common sense."

"What's going on, you've been acting really weird lately Lincoln?" Lola started to suspect Lincoln

"Does it really matter?" Lincoln asked back.

"I guess not," Lola said back.

While wondering the house, Lincoln's ears caught an explosion, no doubt from a certain someone's science experiments gone wrong. He rushed upstairs to check it out only to confirm his suspicions. He found Lisa performing another dangerous experiment while Lily was in the crossfire. He rushed over and grabbed Lily from the crib.

"Lisa! Be careful with your experiments, someone could have gotten hurt!" Lincoln harshly reminded Lisa.

"My apologies elder brother, but I'm trying to get on another breakthrough, and I can't do that without performing one test after another."

"Didn't mom and dad ground you for blowing off the roof to the house?"

"Negative, I made them sign a personal contract that I will no longer be punished for the explosions in the house."

Lincoln shook his head and sigh, "You'd do anything preserve your science goals? It sounds pretty self-centered if you ask me."

"Well, I don't expect someone with a minimum IQ of bellow two-hundred to possibly understand," Lisa said nonchalantly, feeling a little insulted. "Normally I don't care for human emotions, but I sense an abnormal behavior coming from you, very different from how you normally act."

"Just watch it with your crazy experiments," Lincoln took Lily and left downstairs.

"Thank you for helping me change the oil to Vanzilla Lana, you are quite the handyman, or handy -girl." Lynn Sr. Compliment her daughter's work on the car.

"With me around dad, who needs to hire a mechanical?" Lana said.

Lincoln watch as he lamented as Lynn Sr and Lana enjoyed their time together outside. When it came to handy skills, Lana was an expert at her age. He knew that when it came to tough situations with the family van, she was someone to count on. Lincoln could already see the little grease monkey already successful at her age whether it is working or owning a business.

As he watched them bound with each other, Lincoln could not help but feel inferior, since there was barely enough things he had in common with his parents.

"Whoo-Hoo!" The sports fanatic cried out as she made it home as the front door kicked in front of Lincoln's face. Like always, she was proud of her sweet victory, therefore annoying Lincoln. "Get this dad, my team is going to the semi-finals."

"That's great sweetheart!" Lynn Sr gave his daughter a congratulations fist bump. "With your passion, I think you will go a long way on your future."

"Thanks pops, I sure will."

Lincoln tried his best to leave but was stopped by Lynn Jr. "I already heard you, Lynn, you won the big deal." He said still maintaining that same glumness from the other day.

Lynn nudged and held Lincoln close, "Hey it certainly is a big deal bro; your favorite sister is heading to the big leagues."

Lincoln shrugged off Lynn's hand, "Yeah good for you. The sports world must be at your fingertips."

Lynn Jr smile faded away, "Whoa, what the heck is with you Mr. Glum and Doom, you're usually more supportive of my achievements."

"Man, do you have off switch?" Lincoln complained.

"You're just jealous because you don't have what I have," she accused.

"Yeah sure Lynn," Lincoln said with sarcastic manner. "I'm sure most would be jealous of some bonehead who relies more on luck and less on skill."

"Hey what's your deal dude, you've been acting weird lately?"

"It's nothing, alright!" Lincoln angrily replied. "I'm going out for some air."

* * *

Lincoln stepped out of the house, maybe this was what he needed. He did not know why he blew up on Lynn or his sisters like that. With his hands in his pockets, Lincoln took a few steps at a time on the sidewalk. While on his stroll, he glanced at the street puddle and once again saw his future self. On one glance, Lincoln continued to walk away.

However, his future self-still followed.

"It's inedible you know, people are just going to look down on us." Future Lincoln said.

"We don't know that," Current Lincoln defended

"Wake up, this is a reality, just accept the fact that we will never catch up while the others have lives ahead of them." Future Lincoln said back. "Whether you like it are not, this is our destined fate, nothing but nothingness."

"Nothing but nothingness," Lincoln replied.

"Yes, just trash to be thrown out and disbursed."

A kid noticed Lincoln, rambling to himself, "Mom, who is he talking to, what a weirdo?"

"Shhhh! Stay away from him, sweetheart. He must be one of those special cases that live down the street." The mother advised pulling her child away.

While wondering around, he saw a family in celebration of their kid's accomplishments. They were on their way to Gus-Game-Grub for a celebration feast in his honor. By the look of the jerseys, it was clear that it was from a Basketball competition and they were the winners, lucky them.

He then saw another family as they glanced proudly at their kids as they got an award. From the couch, he received a Gold Medal of Honor for their hard work. Neither the parents nor friends could take their smiles off their faces, lifting their child in the over their heads.

"Look at them, they have all the talent, and yet look at you or better yet look at us," Future Lincoln glanced with current Lincoln.

"You don't have to rub it in, you know!" Lincoln voice boomed as it nearly caught the attention of the family. Feeling caught and embarrassed, Lincoln quickly disappeared from the scene.

No matter how far he ran, future Lincoln continued to follow. It haunted him like a ghost.

"You know it's unavoidable since you are the only one in your family who has no unique talent to distinguish yourself," Future Lincoln reminded him.

"Leave me alone," Lincoln said back.

"Come now, you know it's true. I mean what did you ever worthwhile, aside from your failed attempt to win an actual trophy, just a pity one." He pestered the boy. "Oh then again, I'm sure there are plenty of contests of reading comics in your underwear."

Now he was just mocking him.

"I said leave me alone!" Lincoln swung his hand, only to hit someone accidentally.

Lincoln got away from the crowd of excitement; he sat at the lake staring at the clear blue water. There, he began tossing rocks into the pound. Along with his boredom, he saw a duck family. Few of them followed the mother duck, while one of them was far behind, still learning to swim. Looking at the animals reminded him more and more on his current situation. He felt like he was dead last in a race.

Spotted a wildcat by the lake, he aimed his sight at the baby duck that was still far behind. Lincoln got another stone and tossed it at the cat. The hard object was enough to scare the stray animal away from the baby.

As payback, the wildcat turned his sights on Lincoln, scratching. It was a hair, but he managed to pry off the animal.

"Stupid cat!" Lincoln exclaimed, shaking off the pain from his hand.

As he saw his sister's through the reflection of the water, Lincoln slapped the water in anger. But through their bright smiling faces, Lincoln could see the real truth.

"I bet you're all laughing at me as you always have," He said, talking to the water reflection. "You would just love to see me fall would you?" Lincoln smashed the water again, splashing all over the place.

Realizing what he was doing and how soaked his pants were again, he calms down, "What is wrong with me?"

 **A/N: Looks like the sisters are starting to catch on Lincoln's odd behavior. Also, in case, you guys are wondering? No, Ronnie Anne is not moved in this story. And yes, she will be in the story along the way.**


	5. Uncertain Career Paths

It was another average day at school for the middle child. With the symptom still on his mind, he had little concentration on his schoolwork. As he was done on his test, he rested his head quietly, trying to keep his eyes open. He did not try to keep it open because of the recurring dreams, but to the homeroom teacher from catching him sleeping in class. Not that he cared all that much anyway.

"Hey Linc, what's the answer to question four?" Zach whispered silently.

Mrs. Johnson cleared her throat loudly at Zach, indicated she had her eye on him. Zach played it cool and continued to focus on his test, while Lincoln remained perfectly quiet.

After the final hand, Mrs. Johnson got up from her seat and announced. "Okay class pencils down, I have an announcement to make."

As ordered, the students turned their attention to Mrs. Johnson.

"I have most exciting news to announce."

"We are going on a field trip," Rusty guessed.

"Even better, today is our annual Career Day. It will take place at the Assembly to talk about the true importance of these careers. Remember that these careers will further shape your future, not as an employee but as a person." Mrs. Johnson explained.

Lincoln did not need to be reminded since he already knew what his career was. If he could not find his talent then careers were no different.

There was lots of thoughts occupied Lincoln's mind as he made his way to chairs. He took his seat next to Clyde as the Assembly was about to begin. When the lights set, the principal made his way to the center stage, he cleared his throat.

"Good evening students," Principal Huggins greeted the crowd. "As your homeroom teachers had told you, this is a very important day for you while you're still young, but nevertheless, you need to start to consider your plans for the future so that it will help in becoming a better human being for today's society. So please take your time to fully embrace the world of wonderful job opportunities."

After he took himself off stage, the first person made his way on stage.

Principle Huggins passed the microphone to the first person who appeared in a fancy suit. By his fancy attire, it was clear that the man worked for a worldwide company. Lincoln was correct with his analysis as the man gave his presentation on his career. With him being the manager if a huge company, more than a few employees were at his fingertips. The next made his way on stage was a Fireman. As he made his opening presentation, he gave all the insights and challenges of being a Firefighter. Third up on stage was a Lawyer. There on stage, he went through different steps and objectives in the way of the law.

Though how boring and important the assembly, he followed along the speakers. Still, in his head, he did not think it was going to make that much of a difference. Lincoln watched with glumness as he was taking in all the information of the different adult individuals and their lifestyle. From each word muttered from the adult speakers, he yawned repeatedly.

Finally, the assembly was over as it was lunchtime. Lincoln sat along with his friends and Lisa who was already very chipper after the long assembly, while Lincoln's mind remained somewhere else. As they took their seats, everyone started to chatter on their different future paths.

"Man that was quite an assembly," Rusty commented.

"I'll say," Liam added.

"As if I needed all those explanations, my future is already set for my unique talent." Lisa happily marveled.

"After that, I know what I want to do now," Rusty announced. "I'm getting into the family business by running my dad's Tailor shop, ladies like a man who run their own business.

Zach was in relief as he said, "Well I'm glad that learning basic chemistry is not a necessary requirement into the career world because I'm getting into construction."

"Coolness, I'm planning on opening my own farm, and not just for chickens," Liam stated. "What about you Clyde?"

"Oh that's easy; I'm planning on going to the University to study Therapy. All these sessions with Dr. Lopez will finally pay off," Clyde answered with confidence.

"What about your career Lincoln? What are you going to be?" Rusty inquired to Lincoln, who has not said a word ever since the assembly. The friends and Lisa took a questionable glance at the middle-child.

"Huh," Lincoln replied barely listening.

"What are you going to be Lincoln?" Rusty asked again. "You know the future is not too far away from here."

Lincoln stuttered for a couple of minutes. The last thing Lincoln needed was a reminder as his mind was still a cold hard blank. TV static and cold colored images clouded his young mind.

Lincoln lips went dry as he replied, "I don't want to talk about it, alright." He said, glumly.

"Come on Lincoln, don't be shy, we already told you what we wanted to be," Clyde cheered up Lincoln.

Lincoln was already irritated as he hid his hidden scowl. "Look can we please drop this!" Lincoln hissed with a harsh tone. "Give me a break!"

"Their right, elder brother. If your future goal is not decided, you may end up being one of those good for nothing, street name; deadbeats. And I hear the large majority is constantly growing now and days," Lisa blurted with her science knowledge came muster.

"Thanks, Lisa! I'm sure everyone needed to hear that explanation." Lincoln bawled, silencing his sister. Everyone grimaced at Lincoln's sudden reaction. "Look, can we just move past this already?"

* * *

As he strolled down his neighborhood, he looked at the number of houses people worked hard to earn. All of which came from finding their talent and later a job of their capabilities. Some became lifetime; others did not and had a career change, but still kept their financial standing. When he came to one house, he saw a man leaving to work as a police officer, bidding his wife and kids goodbye.

He started to wonder the different path and options for those careers.

Lincoln then saw an electrician working on the streetlights. He hung from a high height to balance himself. Lincoln only wondered if he had a fear of heights or anything else, that or the possibility of being electroshock in the process.

He then glanced at an incoming ambulance van. Judging by the sirens, it was clear that it was in a rush. Lincoln thought about that option as well but was not so sure if he would make it in time, nor fight through endless traffic. He also wondered how many years of experience or education did it need, and did he have the patience for it.

He stopped by a house, where he glanced at a couple of people performing in their garage. One was on the computer. The other was on the keyboard, and the last person was on the microphone, performing a song.

"Do you guys get good money doing that?" Lincoln asked.

"Nah man, it's just a major hobby of ours on our downtime." The lead singer answered. "My real profession is a tech Clerk analysis." He then pointed to the keyboard player. "My friend there works as a cable guy." Next, he pointed to the computer person. "And the other guy here teaches at a college campus. Sometimes we get gigs, other times we do not, but you would be surprised at the number of fans we get. If you know what I mean." The lead person winked a few times.

Lincoln continued to explore his options on the tube at home. One commercial advertises enlisting in the army. However, Lincoln was not sure if he wanted to follow in pop-pop footsteps. Another one advertises being a salesperson, from door-to-door to local businesses. The third choice that came on TV was being doctored. With how long medical school took, he was not sure if he had that time or patience. The number of choices overwhelmed Lincoln's brain. He felt the time was of the essence as the dark future was drawing near.

"Pass the remote twerp, the style channel is on," Lori demanded.

"Knock yourself out," Lincoln answered tossing the remote.

Lori looked at Lincoln with suspicious eyes. Although, she was in question at first, but was happy she got the remote. Usually, the fight over the TV remote would turn into an all-out war in the Loud Family. This time, he forked it over without a fight or even a word of combat.

Even after looking through the channel, Lincoln still had zero ideas of his talents, let alone careers. Filling in his time and boredom, Lincoln decided to accompany his dad to the Aloha Comrade restaurant. While there, he watched as his father cook some extravagant meals for the customers. He glanced at mid-admiration the man who loved cooking for his family and now cooking for some paying customers. As he continued to stare, he thought about a career in Cinerary Arts.

"I don't get it, dad, why don't you add the spices in there now." Lincoln inquired.

"Because son, cooking is more complex than that, you can just add to things together and expect it to turn out good; you got to use more ingredients." Lynn Sr. answered Lincoln. "You just have to be patient with it."

"Kind of reminds me of Lisa chemistry set," he wondered to himself.

"Dang it, I put too much sauce in, now I have to remake it again." Lynn barked, burning his finger. "Son, do me a favor and tell the customers of Table Twenty that there will be a twenty-two-minute delay with his meal."

Lincoln following destination led him back to the Dentist office where his mom worked. Like his dad's work, Lincoln sat quietly to himself, watching with an emotionless face. To make the day more painful, a raggedy patient brought in the room. Judging by the dirty and holes in the clothes and appearance, it was clear that this patient was homeless off the street. As Lincoln took a closer look, it then turned into his future self again. Most of the front teeth were partially missing within the homeless person, while the others were any color but white.

This was clearly a result of being on the cold streets for too long. Lincoln could not stop staring at the person as his mother operated on him. As he stared, he often wondered about the man, never mind how bad the man's cavities were. Rita was a tough woman to deal with this kind of grossness every day. Lincoln wondered how long it would be before he is unable to chew normal foods. Lincoln had nothing but sympathy for the man.

* * *

After a long day, the family sat down for dinner. The girls were glad to talk about how interesting their day was. Lori went on and one about her life in high school. Leni talked about the latest fashion trends. Lola ranted about her Pageant Activities. Lisa discussed a bunch of science stuff. Luan kept the humor at the dinner table. Lynn Jr. boasted on how awesome she and her team were. Luna excitedly expressed how good she was in her music gigs. Lucy being dark expressed her dark interest in her poems. However, Lincoln still was the distance one as he silently kept to himself. All he did was stare down at the table and poke repeatedly at his food.

"If I keep this up, I will be a worldwide Pageant success," Lola happily expressed.

"That is great that your passionate sweetheart, but it never hurts to have second options," Rita reminded. The mother then turned her attention to her son. "What about you Lincoln?"

"What," Lincoln answered once again barely listening.

"We ask you how was your day Lincoln."

"Oh…it…was nothing special," Lincoln said with lament in his tone with no signs of the happiness that his family was use to.

Lincoln's unhappy tone hinted curiosity for both parents

"Um, is there something wrong sport? You've been quiet most of the day?" Lynn Sr. asked with concern.

Without haste, Lincoln shook his head and replied with, "It's nothing." He grabbed his plate a food and left the table, still leaving his family with worried glances.

Luckily Lincoln was the first to avoid the crowds as he freshens himself up. After that, he lied secluded in his room. For the next few minutes, he glanced at the dark ceiling with things still on his mind. Even after exploring different options, Lincoln still had zero ideas on possible careers choices, as his friends were already set.

Once again, he was starting to feel more left behind. With every glance, Lincoln felt his eyes dim shut.

* * *

When Lincoln's eyes close shut, he found himself back on the cold dark streets. However, instead of it being daytime it was now nightfall. On foot, homeless Lincoln continued his travels on the streets. There was not much Lincoln could do at the time in terms of getting more change. Barely anybody was around during the nights. Throughout the nights, Lincoln watched as Truckers were doing their nightly loads and gas station attendants were occupying the stations.

He could only sit and admire the careers people worked on, while he had nothing. As he stared at the lake, all he could see is the failure he has become. Just a homeless deadbeat on the streets begging for change after change and savaging food like an animal. This was now his life and his new occupation. While looking into the water, he could almost hear tremendous laughter, although it could have just been in his head. As he left, it was just two people watching a comedy video on their phone.

While walking on the sidewalk, he passed a pet shop full of different kinds of birds. When the animals glanced at homeless Lincoln, all the endless amount of squawking went off, which almost sounded like laughter to him. It was a sad day that even animals were enjoying his predicament.

Lincoln put on a scowl, "Yeah well at least I'm not the one in a cage, so the jokes on you!"

Finding the nearest gas station bathroom, he decided to freshen up a bit. The sink became Lincoln's own personal bath. Fortunately despite his dirty appearance that he sure no women would find attractive; he still kept his teeth clean. While looking in the mirror, Lincoln's hallucinations continued as if he was on drugs. In the mirror, he saw his all ten of his sisters all laughing at what he has become. In addition, it was not harmless teasing. For the most part, it was really talking down to him just like the time the toilet was clogged.

"Look at you Lincoln, you look pathetic," Lori mocked.

Leni noticed, "Ew, Lincoln is that really you, you look awful,"

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, and I mean have really fallen," Lisa stated.

Lola laughed with glee, "It sure sucks being you Lincoln, glad I'm not like that."

"That funny to you," Lincoln gritted his teeth in anger.

Even if it was not real, he could still feel his sister's constant mocking. Lincoln banged on the mirror, nearly cracking it to wipe off the image from his head. He then took several breathes at a time to get himself back to reality. Lincoln then took the final splash of water on his face.

As he came out of the bathroom, he spotted some siren lights. Thankfully, they were not on him, but it was around the corner from him. Lincoln's curiosity took over as he decided to check it out. He spotted an ambulance and police officers nearby, working on a body.

"Oh, geese looks like we got another one this week." One of the officers has cringed at the dead body.

"So what shall we do with this one?" The second officer inquired.

"I don't know. Send this one to that Goth Mortician, I hear she's study dead bodies when she was young and practically lives it, so this would make her job a lot more fun for her and less of a hassle for us."

Lincoln did not even need to guess whom they were referring to, "I hope you're enjoying this Lucy."

Getting back to his alley corner, Lincoln rested his head on the wall.

"Hey, you!" a familiar voice called out to him.

When Lincoln turns his head, it revealed to be the same thieves that robbed him before, but he eluded them. Upon second glance, he discovered they were one man short.

"You got my buddy busted." He said.

"So what, he stole from me, if you ask me he deserved to be in jail," growled Lincoln.

"Fine, then you will be the collateral damage," he shot back cracking his knuckles. "I'm picking right where I left off."

Lincoln already knew where this was going. As he turned his heel to leave, Lincoln was caught from behind. Holding both arms from behind, the thief started to pound away at Lincoln. Lincoln felt the fist impacting both his face and his chest. No matter how much he tried to escape, he was powerless against this gang. Neither of them wasted any time seeing to his destruction.

To add insult to injury, they even went through his pockets. Not only they robbed Lincoln of his loose change, but his material processions as well. Eyes spotted at his bronze wristwatch, so they grabbed that too. They finished it off with a kick to the gut; leaving Lincoln injured the hard surface. At this point, Lincoln's pleads of mercy was useless as he now had nothing. There he lied collapsed on the ground, not because of his injuries inflicted, but the sorrow he had endured.

At this point, Lincoln almost wishes he were like that dead man, for his faith was very limited.


	6. Insomnia

**A/N: Yeah felt bad leaving the story on a sour note, so here is the next chapter, also rewarding you guys with a two for one special. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Lincoln felt the intensifying pain in his body, as he lied collapsed on the hard ground. It had now marked the third time he has been robbed. However, Lincoln he was heavily mugged. He had the cuts and bruises to prove it. Feeling that the situation was not going to change, he lied on the ground. If there was a god, he was certainly late in helping this unfortunate man from the streets.

As he lied on the ground, Lincoln could barely hear the sounds of his attackers struggling. It may have sounded like another street fight going on. Then again, in his situation, Lincoln heard many things. Still, in his head, he thought to himself, what does it matter anymore? It was until someone had come up to the fallen boy and offered him a hand. It almost felt like an angel was taking him.

Upon glance, it found out to be the same homeless man that had saved him from traffic. Gently, he lifted the injured Lincoln on his feet. "Don't worry son, I got you."

"You're helping me even after the way I acted to you?" Lincoln asked still sore.

"Everyone needs help now and then pal. We all have our share of bad days, especially out here."

"I see you new to this situation huh. Why don't I take you to my place?" He said offering him a hand. "By the way, the name is AJ."

He introduced himself as well with a handshake, "Lincoln."  
After a few walks, the two homeless arrived secret shelter in the junkyard. In an open spot, he saw an abandoned gas station with two barrels. Luckily, no gas was active at that gas station. As he saw, he was not the only person alone the streets. The group consisted of a middle-aged man, a homeless woman maybe around his age, and a tall former veteran.

Lincoln rested on a futon as a homeless woman was slowly treating him. She tended to the cuts and bruises on his face to his body. Through the process, he found himself aching and grunting. He was surprised to see how she still had her nursing kit while homeless. The place may not have been a hospital, but at least it was fair treatment.

"By the way, I believe this belongs to you." AJ presented watch stolen from Lincoln.

"Thank you," Lincoln said putting a happy grin on his face.

"It helps that an old guy like me still knows karate. That must be worth something if you're not willing to part so easily."

Lincoln was quiet at first then started to reflect. "It was a graduation present from my grandfather. He was always so active and full of life, God rest his soul." Lincoln tilted his head down in sorrow.

AJ took a seat next to Lincoln, "I can easily relate." He pulled out a paper from his pocket. "You see this ticket? It was for a ring I had for me and my wife; unfortunately, when the bad times came in I had to pawn it, but I will get it back someday."

After the final bandage, Lincoln sat up on the futon. Although he was still sore, at least he was able to move.

"Thanks for your help Karen," Lincoln thanked looking at the nametag on the women's shirt.

She gave a smile, but not a word. "Don't mention it."

Lincoln was given a sub sandwich, but checked it with caution.

"Don't worry, it's fresh," AJ assured.

Craving a good meal, Lincoln munched on the sandwich as if he was a wild animal. By the looks on the other homeless faces, it was clear that Lincoln was hungry and the food was hard to come by for many homeless people. After the final bite, Lincoln gave a loud burp. He gave his chest few pounds. "Excuse me." slightly embarrassed, but every just giggled a bit.

"You see every one of us came from most unfortunate circumstances." AJ narrated to Lincoln. "I used to be a Bank Teller long ago for a very small company, but then things took a turn for the worst, so they had to let go a lot of the workers, myself included. It was a lucky time where the economy was not exactly dependable. So I tried hitting the streets for job opportunities, after all, I had a family to support."

"So how did that work out?" Lincoln inquired.

"A lot of rejection, even for jobs I had no experience in, they were really picky in the market. Soon I lost my Savings, my house and my family as they moved to their grandparent's house in California. Moreover, like a stubborn fool, I stayed behind. I have been out here ever since I gave up."

"So what about everyone else?" inquired Lincoln?

AJ pointed to another homeless wearing an army jacket. "Victor over there was once a veteran. Been in the military for ten years, yet Uncle Sam was not that kind to him." AJ then glanced at the women. "Karen here used to have a life as a Registered Nurse, but things took a turn for the worst as her passport was stolen by her ex-husband because he was an illegal alien. We have been together for a while, looking out for one another."

Lincoln almost forgot the meaning of togetherness. His large family knew the full meaning of that word.

"Why don't you hang with us?" AJ offered Lincoln.

"Yeah, anything is better than being alone out here, or being physically assaulted again," Victor commented.

Karen nodded in reply agreeing with the others.

"I don't see any reason why not," Lincoln accepted their offer.

Throughout the day, the four homeless individuals had performed mundane task after task. For AJ and Victor, the two of them washed car windows from some change, just about anything that help them get on their feet. For Karen, she was responsible for tending to most of the females needs. Although homeless, Karen was still a woman. This task would include manicures from nails to toenails, offering fashion tips, and even skin care. With her here, who needed to go to the salon?

Lincoln then went on his task for today. He stood with a box and cleaning supplies, he had recently acquired from the other homeless. Because of a bad experience, he was a bit edgy but kept his cool. When he saw a person in a suit walked by, Lincoln offered with his cleaning supplies.

"Shine your shoes, Mister, you know for a big meeting coming up, appearances certainly is everything," Lincoln asked the man, giving his best smile. Already, his first thoughts were going to be an act of painful rejection. By his horrid appearance plus the bandages, it did not spell professional. The sharp suit man checked his watch at first then placed his shoe on the box.

"I want to see my face on it or else you get nothing! Got that!" He demanded the highest service.

"Yes, sir!" He replied.

With a few sprays, he grabs a rag. On both ends, he started scrubbing the dirt and stains off the man's dress shoes. Since time was of the essence, Lincoln tried to make it as quick as possible. After the first shoe, Lincoln did the same in the second; scrubbing as hard as he can until there, it felt hot. The man could nearly feel his toe getting hot.

"How is that? Lincoln asked, awaiting the verdict.

He checked both shoes with analysis eyes like a critic. He then glanced at Lincoln. "Not too shabby pal," He complimented Lincoln's work. He pulled out two files from his wallet and gave it to Lincoln. "Well, at least my shoes will not be the first thing they look at while at work."

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for work?"

"I'm a Stockbroker,"

"A Stockbroker, that's interesting, isn't that the kind of work that requires a degree of some sort?" Lincoln wiped off his hands.

He laughed for a bit, and then stopped. "No amigo, not this one, you don't need anything fancy, just have to be good with numbers and have good people skills, just about anybody can do it. You keep up and soon you'll be climbing up the corporate ladder, then you will be at the tallest building looking down on the entire city as if you're a monarch."

"Yeah well my look doesn't exactly say 'hire me' Lincoln said shamefully looking down at his dirty self. The man could already see where Lincoln was coming from.

With a tap on the shoulder, he smiled. "There's always hope amigo, even for the most unfortunate. Take care of yourself, alright." He left Lincoln.

In the very front of the massive building, the homeless white-haired man stood. Even if he fell out of place among the people, he still glances at the nice environment. He felt enlightened by the man's words since in this situation hope was here and there. He watched all the fancy suit individuals come up and step out of the building. Nearly all of them held the most joyous smile showing off their bright teeth. He could only stand and admire those hard-working individuals. Proud, firm and grace aura held around them.

Among that very moment, Lincoln almost imagine himself as one of those individuals. In his suit and suitcase, he made his way through the steps of glory. When making it to the top step, he took a glance at the world around him since he was now going to be making a difference. As he entered the building, the vision ended as he was back on these homeless roots. He was like a king looking down on the peasants. Times like this he almost forgot the current harsh reality he was living in. He shook his head to bring to get back to the task.

Before he could be on his way, someone stopped him. Fortunately, it was not an officer; it was another person who wanted his or her shoeshine. He did not anticipate that, but Lincoln gave them their request. Well, at least he was getting some customers. He only hoped that they would tip as well as the first person.

After a few hours, Lincoln was on his way back to the shelter. Lincoln's mind was still on the company. It was something to be considering while he was still young. Nevertheless, who was he kidding, there was just no way that will happen.

While on his way, he heard a few honks. At first, he thought he was just hearing things, but then it was recurring. As he followed the sounds, he came across a very familiar vehicle. On arrival, he found the same man that he help find the wallet.

Still being a Good Samaritan, he assisted the same man be becoming his own personal tow-truck. As the gear was on neutral, he pushed the car. It became easier for him as another person assisted.

"I was in the area, figured you can use some help," Victor arrived, helping Lincoln.

It took some sweaty effort, but the two homeless managed to get the car to the nearest gas station.

"Thank you Lincoln, we haven't met face to face yet, but I'm Clark," The man introduce himself.

"So what happened here?" Lincoln was first to ask.

"My daughter used the car for a late night movie with her friends but did not even bother to fill the tank. Clark explained, slightly embarrassed. "I was in a rush this morning, but then stopped, and the rest is history."

"I bet you really gave that girl a hard lecture." Victor folded his arms.

"You better believe I did. Not only ground her for sneaking out at night but not taking care of the car. Man, sometimes I really question if it was really wise for teens to start driving when she might abuse her driving privileges," Clark quipped

Lincoln had known what he was talking about as he reflected upon it. Lori would offer take pride in driving skills, resulting in endless favors. Times the questions that if they were really worth it.

"Thank you much for your help gentleman, Lincoln and..." Clark paused at the other person.

"Victor," The tall man introduced himself, offering a handshake.

"Well it is nice to meet you Victor, and thank for serving our country." Clark reached into his wallet and got out two twenties. One was for Lincoln and other for Victor.

"No problem, just glad we can help," Lincoln replied with minimum happiness. Lincoln and Victor took their leave.

"I hope you two truly find your way," Clark bid his farewell to the two homeless.

Victor held a grin on his face, "Well Lincoln looks like we are going to eat tonight. Still, we have rationed our food supplies. Victor glanced at a bar, "But first, I think I'm going to kick back somewhere as well. I got to check if my team is playing."

The two of them stopped at the bar. The first glance was at the local tube. On the screen, the team watches as the team captain made her way to the center stage. With a hood over the head and wielding the Olympic Torch, the team captain made to the upper level. On the furnace, she lit the torch as the crowd screamed the name. The captain was up there unveiled as the athletic sister, causing Lincoln's mouth to widen.

"Here we have our glorious moment in history folks as our rising sports star, Lynn Loud Jr, winner many gold medals, wielding the Olympic Torch to start this event!" TV had narrated.

She stood proud like a god to worship. "So Lynn, what are your thoughts on this wonderful day?" After, she performs a few ceremonial dances. A journalist inquired to the champion.

"I just like to thank my family, friends and my good luck God's for making this all possible," Lynn answered to the man. "All hail the reigning champion, oh yeah!" Lynn shouted from the top of her lungs.

Lincoln scoffed at the behavior his sports sister had displayed. He shook his head.

"What a bonehead? Even after all these years, you haven't changed one bit Lynn."

"Hey you, no one talks bad about Lynn-sanity!" One-man overhead Lincoln, not happy with his comment.

"That's right; she's a champion, my daughter looks up to her. She's way better than a worthless deadbeat like you."

"Oh please," Lincoln rolled his eyes.

The man did not like Lincoln's attitude as he proceeded with a punch. Victor quickly intercepted the attack, this defending Lincoln. As the two people looked up at the tall war vet, both were instantly scared.

"I'd suggest you back away slowly while you can," Victor squeezed the man's hand hard, hurting it.

The man pulled away and left. The veteran may not have seen his face, but could easily tell the two people were scared.

"Those idiots make the enemy soldiers I fought look brave," mocked Victor.

"I just got to stop somewhere really quick."

"Going to use the can?"

"Not exactly," he replied, looking at a local Comic Bookstore.

Lincoln returned to the shelter. With some of the funds he earned, he was able to buy the new Ace Savvy comic. It had been many years, but his love for his favorite crime fighter has not changed. Finding the nearest comfortable place, he settled in and started to read. Even if it was not the nicest home or even the most lived in, it literally felt like home, being with people who care for him.

"Hey there kid," AJ and the other greeted with some food.

"We didn't know if we go for Pizza or Chinese food, so we got both."

"Thanks, I can eat both."

"Then grab a fork and let's dig in."

* * *

Lincoln was now in his room and the daydream ended. He lied in bed peacefully staring at the ceiling without a care. In addition, there were heavy bags in his eyes. From every tossing and turning, he felt the dreams getting worse. He could barely get his thoughts together. There were even times where he had cranky mornings.

Making his mornings worse, his eldest sister burst into his room. With a deadpan look and golf clubs, she looked down on Lincoln's current condition. "You look awful, and you're still in bed?" Lori asked.

"Yeah why, it's Saturday," Lincoln was already in a cranky mood.

"A, the weekends is not an excuse to sleep all day, and B, my golf tournament is today and you're not ready."

Just another reminder of his sister's talent was enough to bury his face in covers. "I so do not need this at seven in the morning."

"It's noon Lincoln, it's the big day, now get up out of bed, I really need everyone's support, no excuses and no tricks this time," Lori pulled the blankets off Lincoln's body.

"So I could see you lose again, hard pass."

"I said get up on your feet Lincoln! Seriously, why are you being so difficult lately?" Lori tried to pry him loose from the bed. "Fine, you want to do this the hard way! Lana! You up for alligator wrestling?"

"Oh yeah!" Lana beamed, making her way through Lincoln's room.

Much to his utter dismay, he attended Lori golf tournament. With his arms folded, Lincoln found himself being drag to the event. Lincoln saw his sister and Bobby exchanging a hug as he could do nothing but groan at their behavior. Watching Lori and Bobby constantly, fawn over each other was like watching a bad romance movie. As long as it was romance to them, anything, it brought them absolute happiness.

As he and family took a seat on the bench, he just waited for the day to be over.

"Well I'm off to do my very best," Lori said happily.

"This freaking sucks," Lincoln muttered.

"What was that?" The eldest inquired about Lincoln's sudden words.

"I said good luck," Lincoln with another false smile.

The day went on of golf match after another. Lincoln yawned repeatedly, trying to keep himself awake, not that he wanted to stay awake anyway. Between the dreams and reality, it started to flicker like a light switch. He did not care either way. He just wanted her to lose so he could leave already.

Lori was finally up as she took the stand. The ball went flying through the wide-open field. After a few bounces on the grass, it started to slow down. Everyone held the face of anticipation of the golf ball. After the final roll, it tilted into the hole. It was a complete hole in the noon, much to Lincoln's surprise. Still, he was not that impressed. The family let out a massive cheer for their eldest daughter.

Lincoln was the only one quiet on the whole thing.

"Come on bro, cheer like you mean it!" Luna encourages the boy. "Lori just won."

"I can see that and I'm cheering on the inside," Lincoln had replied still feeling moody or maybe it was just a crankiness talking from the lack of sleep.

"Dude, what's with you, where is the ongoing happiness you normally have Lincoln?" Luna inquired.

"He's not here at the moment, please leave a message," Lincoln said back. "If we are done, then I'm going back home."

Sensing some hostility, Luna grabbed Lincoln's arm. "Hey what's with you dude, you're not your usual self?"

"It's nothing, just drop it alright!" Lincoln shot back.

Lincoln pushed Luna's arm away as he continued down his stroll. While walking, Luna glances at Lincoln's head down. It was barely a full glance, but Luna saw a look of discomfort on Lincoln's face. Something was clearly amiss.

Lori held her newly acquired golf trophy as if she was a champion. Like Lynn, the whole family lifted her over their heads. Now she knew how Lynn felt winning a trophy. Well, at least she did not boast about it. Lincoln saw the image of Lori's success, only to bring sadness to his well-being.

Lincoln watch shamefully as Lori's trophy added to the Trophy Case. These trophies what include her Spelling Bee, and the world's fastest Texter trophy. He saw that everyone had more than one trophy all except him. It only made him shamefully sign further. There throughout the mirror, he glanced at his future self again. For each vision he had, Lincoln further question his existence.

* * *

Lincoln's lack of sleep only went further during school hours. Once again, he was yawning repeatedly. Lincoln could barely keep his eyes open during Mrs. Johnson's lessons. As his eyes dim shut, he found himself on the mean streets again. There, he found his current self-staring at his future self. It was a look of absolute hopelessness. What was he going to do at this point or better yet what can he do at this point?

Before you can say anything, a voice called out to Lincoln. Lincoln's eyes wide open as he was back in the classroom. Unfortunately, he faced with a very displeased face of Mrs. Johnson.

"You've been warned about sleeping in my class Lincoln. So now I think you'll be doing plenty of sleeping in detention." Mrs. Johnson scolded her student.

This day just gets better and better for the middle child. Clearly, his lack of sleep was getting to him as he found himself yawning throughout the day. As Lincoln's eyes flickered, he found himself at a crossroads between his dream and reality. It was like being stuck between two channels on TV.

Lincoln raised his hand, "Can I go to the restroom?"

The teacher gave him permission as she handed him a hall pass, and advising him to return.

While in the bathroom, Lincoln an applied as much water to his face and eyes. He kept splashing water on his face to wipe off the bags and redness from his eyes. Lincoln did not know if the lack of sleep was getting to him or the depression having a stronger effect. Nevertheless, it did not change how he felt.

While stepping out of the restroom, there were no ambush attacks this time. Thankfully, he was in the safe zone, until he was pounded by flying tomatoes. Guess it was far too early to get his hopes up.

Ronnie Anne stepped out of the corner as she laughed at Lincoln. "Hope you like my famous tomato surprise Lame-O."

Lincoln took an unsurprised sign as he wiped the tomatoes off his face. Without saying a word, he walked away and just ignored her. This reaction cause Ronnie Anne to wince in confusion. "Hey what's going on? You know it's no fun messing with you if you're not even going to have a reaction."

"Are you done, Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked, beyond annoyed by her behavior. "I'm really not in the mood for this."

"No, not really." Ronnie Anne then went up to Lincoln grabbed both ends of his pants and yanked it down, exposing nothing but his underwear. Everyone caught the sight as laughter blasted Lincoln, but there was still no reaction. At least on the outside, but on the inside, Lincoln's crankiness turned to anger as he tightened his fist and pulled up his pants. Even if Lincoln was not exactly the violent type, he had the urge to put this bully in her place. He wanted smack that grin off her face as he was about to raise his arm.

As Ronnie Anne took a great amount of pleasure at Lincoln's humiliation, little did she know there was someone behind her? Mrs. Johnson stood with her arms folded with the same face she gave Lincoln for sleeping in class. Without hesitation, Mrs. Johnson grabbed the young Santiago by the ear. "Well let's see how funny you find it in detention." The homeroom teacher gave a scowl to the students. "Back to class everyone, the show's over."

"Ow, ow, ow," Ronnie Anne felt the pain as her ear was being pulled.

Fortunately, both were saved of them from a situation turning ugly. He took a sign rubbing his teary eyelids as he went back to detention.

* * *

"Well, Lincoln looks like we really blew them away with our performance though I wish you were more enthusiastic." Luan happily chirped.

"Whatever Luan, you got the job done, that's all that matters," Lincoln took a yawn of disinterest.

"Oh Lincoln, you forgot your slice of cake." Luan reminded Lincoln as he left, but ignored her as he went upstairs.

As Luan went back to her room, she caught up with her Rockstar sister. "Hey sis, how was the party?"

"Pretty good, by the way, have you noticed Lincoln been acting funny lately and not in the haha kind of way?"

"Yeah, dude, he wasn't even that supportive during Lori golfing match? And he was acting like a real bonehead to me the other day about the shower." Luna took a bunch of Luan's earn birthday cake. "He just acted like the whole thing bored him to death."

"He wasn't even smiling at the party it's like all like someone took a vacuum and just sucked out all the laughter, and even shreds of happiness out."

The two older sisters then caught the scientist overlooking the middle-child. This caught their interest of curiosity. "Lisa, what are you doing?" wondered Luan

"Field research deer siblings, I've been studying in Elder brother's Behavior patterns ever since his grumpy outbursts, it played me but curiosity. And although I may not care for feeble human emotions, I, unfortunately, need this project for school to receive a passing grade." Lisa answered. "But now my research has concluded so I'm off to perform some test."

As they made it to Lisa's room, she starts doing the ending calculations. On her big device, she implanted all the research gathered from her notes. Then after minutes of calculations, the results were printed. When she read the paper, Lisa's eyes remained calm but it did not marvel.

Lisa turned to her sisters. "Well siblings I've compiled all the data and after much deliberation, I count it all the endless signs, shifting of personalities, and disinterest in normal hobbies. It is the displeasure to announce that our brother has been showing signs of low mood aversions. Or in layman's terms, our brother has clinical depression."

Surprise and curiosity filled Luan and Luna's faces from this news. It was as bad as of now and saying positive test on the doctor's notes.


	7. Constant Daydreams

It was early morning of the cold streets as the young homeless found himself back in the shelter. Already, he questioning how he got here because he remembers clearly doing some panhandling, and now he was back here, but not looking well. As Lincoln looked to the side, the homeless woman was tending to him. He watched as she wrings out the washcloth and placed it on his forehead.

Lincoln barely had any strength to move. His whole body felt literally drain. Lincoln figured that this was one of the many, many downsides of being homeless. Homeless people had the poorest health care in the world. Lincoln was now seeing that aside from the many injuries he endured.

"So you're finally awake?" Karen spoke to Lincoln.

Lincoln was still weak as he sat up. "What happened?"

"Don't you remember, you passed out on the street after doing your thing? Victor and AJ carried you back quickly, so it would certainly avoid taking you to a hospital." Karen explained wiping the sweat from his head. "They left me in charge ever since then.

"They did all this for me?" Lincoln asked groaning in pain

"They said don't worry about it, they will take care of things. I don't mind at all. It comes with the territory of being a nurse." Karen eyes then shifted the other direction. Lincoln was surprised that Karen still had her nursing bag even after being homeless. Inside were various medicines, bandages, and treatment patches. "Or at least I was going to be."

"You know I don't see a too much homeless woman, no offense"

"None took. Believe me; there exist some of all genders. There are even much older ones besides a young twenty-one-year-old like me."

"So how did a young pretty girl end up like this?"

Already Karen was unsure about opening up old wounds, but she took a breather and reluctantly told him. "I was just a young naive girl blinded by her affections," Karen told Lincoln as she took his temperature. "Before all of this, I was just a young nursing student in training. I was nearly done with school; but all that changed when a certain man came into my life."

"A certain man?" Lincoln puzzled.

"Yep," Karen replied with a nod. "His name was Raymond Dawn, and boy did he sweep me off my feet. He was really charming on the outside; the inside, however, was a totally different story." She continued. "Outside that charming smile and that soft-spoken voice was a man that I should not have gotten involved in the first place, yet I let him sway me time and time again."

Lincoln continued to listen.

"He was a man with big dreams in life. In terms of work, he has a real profession, and his profession was being a con man. Each time he wants to ask to borrow money, and I will always put my blind faith in him giving him money because I loved him so much. In addition, it will always pay off, by the time I saw him again he will always have something nice like a car or even a house. Soon we were living a life of luxury. I thought now that I have a life that needed a career. He really did deliver on his promises; however, that only went so far. Next thing you know, IRS Agents were knocking at our door as well as Law enforcement. To make matters worse since we were married, he had easy access to most of my accounts, check most if not all my money and even maxed out all my credit cards, and even took my passport which means I could not go back home. I tried calling him but his phone was disconnected, haven't heard from him ever since."

"I know how it is to be used by someone," Lincoln-related reflecting back to his previous experience.

"He ruined my life, and now I'm paying for his mistake mostly mine. Now here I am a Career School dropout, a possible Fugitive, and a loser living out on the streets. Pretty pathetic huh?"

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"And before you ask even if I could go to the police it's still his word against mine. I have not spoken to my parents in years. They probably forgot about me." Karen's eyes begin to soak. "No matter how hard I cry, these tears would never ever dry of my greatest sin." Lincoln felt nothing but remorse for the young woman. Even if he was sick and even if he did stink badly, he wanted to embrace her as if he used to comfort his little sisters.

Sensing more discomfort, Lincoln quickly changes the subject. "So where did AJ and Victor come along?"

"Those two saved me while I was on the streets before some men want to do something most... unpleasant to me. They suffered injuries, so I tended to them and we have been together ever since then. I became their little sister/nursemaid." Karen chuckles a bit. "So what about you?"

Lincoln was already bothered by the sudden question. "Sorry, I don't feel like talking about it."

"No worries, take these pills, it should reduce the fever a bit," Karen ordered handing water and two pills. "Most of the money I get from panhandling, I usually spend on medicines to help myself and AJ and Victor, not a lot of it to spend it nice clothes."

Lincoln grimace at a magazine Karen was holding, already this caught his attention. It had a very familiar face, and he could not believe it. Lincoln's second eldest sister was on the front cover. Karen noticed Lincoln staring at the picture. "Yeah, this is the latest clothes trend by someone named Leni Loud. They are simply lovely, something I wish I had at times, let me tell you, that Leni Loud certainly is something."

Lincoln knew fully what she was talking about. "Oh, she is something alright." He knew that Leni's talent in fashion would take her very far, and it did.

* * *

Back to the present, Lincoln's current life was not any better. After suffering some insomnia, Lincoln was now bedridden and sick. Like his dream self, Lincoln's body was too sore to move freely. Head was hurting, stomach was aching, and constant coughing. It was like it was in shutdown mode.

The Loud mother made her way to Lincoln's room. As he placed her hand on the middle-child forehead, it was clear something was wrong. "Oh my, you're burning up sweetie, what happened?"

Lincoln coughed. "I don't know Mom; I'm just not feeling good."

"Well looks like there is going to be no playtime for you young man. Furthermore, I'm going have to call the school and let them know about your sick leave," Rita said. Rita checked her watch and grabbed her purse. "Well, I have to get to work at the Dentist Office. Kids, your father and I are heading to work, please take care of your brother while we are gone. He's not feeling well." Rita shouted

While bedridden, the sisters tried whatever they could to help their only brother. Knowing that his sister's always had a tendency to go overboard with their help, he knew he was going to be in for a long day. For now, he rested and tried not to dream at all, assuming if he could, many help of staying awake turned out to be.

When he heard his door open, Lincoln tilted his eyes in the front direction. "Come on Lincoln, it's time to take your temperature," Lori told Lincoln, stuffing the thermometer in his mouth. After a few minutes, she checked the temperature, reading anything but 98.6. It instead read 105.5, meaning something serious.

"I'm going to see if I can find the proper medicine for you."

As Lori took her leave, Lisa made her way into the room with a device of hers. "Lisa, what is that?"

"It's my newest invention dear brother; with this, it will be able to detect and determine body signs including parts of the bladder. And it should help you get back on your feet in no time, figuratively speaking."

Lincoln was already cautious. "No offense, Lisa but maybe we should leave it up to the trained professionals."

"I am professional, now hold still please." As she fired her device, Lincoln's body begins to tingle.

After getting the analysis on her machine, Lisa's eyes lifted with a question. "Well looks like I still need to work out some necessary bugs. BRB." Lisa left the room.

There were only a few interruptions, but it did not bother him all that much. It is nice that his sister's cared for his well-being, there was only so much of their attention he could take. As he tucks himself in, Lincoln stared at the ceiling. He either rested with his eyes open or just waited to fall an asleep. Since his future self has been recurring like a rerun of a TV show. Or worst a ghost of your inner demons.

As his eyes shut slowly, Lincoln was back on the streets again. Homeless Lincoln coughs and coughs throughout his sick process. From every a cough, Karen patted his back and feed him liquids. As she checked his condition, she sensed that temperatures were continuing to rise.

Karen did not have enough equipment in her bags and her funds were limited. Soon the coughing started to slow down and he was back rested again. It was a relief that his condition was not as worse as she feared.

"Lincoln, I'm going to need to buy some medicine for you, but I don't have enough money, so I'm going to need to use yours if that's going okay. Give me a sigh if that's ok with you."

Lincoln was weak and shaking but slowly gave the thumbs up.

Karen grabbed Lincoln's hooded jacket. Keeping herself hidden from unnecessary strangers, she covered her head. Fortunately, she knew where the pharmacy was, it only took a few blocks. She rushed as if she was an ambulance truck. As the young former medical student wiped the sweat from her forehead, she entered the store.

"Cough medicine?" She asked the clerk.

The clerk responded by silently pointing in the opposite direction.

Karen felt bad about spending Lincoln's hard-earned money, but his health was the utmost importance. Still, she did not stop for anything else as she made it back with time to spare. Like any other nursemaid, she feeds him a spoonful.

"Ugh, it's disgusting," Lincoln, groaned.

"Live with it medicines aren't supposed to be good. They're supposed to cure you no matter what."

Even if Lincoln knew, the medicine still made him a bit queasy inside. "Don't suppose there's an option B?"

While resting, Lincoln was again cut back to reality. As he opens his eyes, the next sisters made it to his room. After they were open all the way, he was met with the twins loose tooth grins; already this sent a shiver down the spine, as he was not expecting this. He was not expecting this.

"Hey big brother," Lola said. "We heard you were sick so we are here to see you get better." Lola pulled out some snack like medicine. "It's something Mom and Dad use for us when we were feeling sick." Lola poured the bottle, only to find one snack. Lola did not even need to guess who was responsible. "Dang it Lana, again," Lola scowls.

"I can't help it they were good." Lana shot back.

Lola growled at the oldest twin, and before Lincoln knew it to his unsurprised, a fight was an issue. Good thing for him that left the room before he was not caught in their crosshairs.

"Hey Lincoln," Lucy appeared unexpectedly, causing him to freak out as always.

Lincoln was clearly in no mood for this. He turned his head away from his dark sister.

"I guess you want to also try methods to make me feel better too?" Lincoln suspected.

"No; I just need words that rhyme with big." Lucy corrected.

"Zig, rig, Tig, did, and rid." He gave out, while annoyed.

"Thanks, Lincoln, oh and I hope you feel better soon." Lucy left.

As the sisters were gone, Lincoln took another rest. Once again, he was back lying down on the futon of the shelter. From every hot forehead, Karen grabbed a damp washcloth. Even if various medicines did not work, Karen tried to cool his temperature. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, almost pull that her heartstrings. It almost reminded her of the time she will always tend to her husband's injuries. Although she will question it he will always reply with, "don't worry about it, comes with the job" and that is her worries were lifted.

Still, that was back then and this is now. Bored by playing nursemaid to Lincoln, Karen's eyes dim shut. At least it would have if she did not hear footsteps nearby. AJ and Victor were not going to return until late, so it could not be them. This made her shake as she pulled out a baseball from a pile of garbage. Unlike AJ and Victor, she did not have combat experience. She gripped it with both bravery and caution. Karen heard the footsteps get closer and fear overwhelmed her.

Fear levels only raised as the footsteps turned into bangs on the door. The banging got louder and louder from every approach. She sat quietly. It did not stop Lincoln as he was still in pain. Without haste, she covered his mouth, keeping him from making a sound. Both hearts raced on the intense situation as she felt the sounds getting closer and closer. Then after the final beat, the knocking had seized. Lincoln and Karen were shaking on their feet; nevertheless, they were was a sign of relief for both of them, at least for now. Lincoln knew for sure how much he was playing Russian roulette on the streets. They all came to an end where he was back in present-day again. Throughout the day Lincoln found himself shifted from regular to the dream world as if he was stuck in some kind of loop. This time the airheaded sister came around. In their hands, he has presented Lincoln with a fresh bowl of soup.

"Here you go Linky, some fresh oatmeal to help you wipe that nasty cold away." She presented.

Lincoln took a hopeless sigh. "Leni, for the last time... I don't have a cold."

"Here comes the racecar, vroom-vroom!" Bubbled Leni.

Reluctant as he was at first, he knew Leni was not going to give in so easily. So he submitted by eating the oatmeal. To be alone again, Lincoln was glad.

Luna and Luna were in the hallway. Both debated who would go first. As Luna and Luan stood in the hallway debating, they decided to settle it with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Having heard the terrible news on Lincoln's condition was like announcing that one of them had cancer. One way or another something had to get done about Lincoln's standing.

Having lost to Luan, Luna stepped up to the plate.

"Hey there bro, heard you feeling down." Luna inquired holding her guitar. "So how about lifting your spirits with a sing-along?"

"Not now Luna," Lincoln hissed.

"Come on bro, it will be fun." Luna tried to persuade Lincoln.

Before she can sing a verse, Lincoln tossed a pillow at Luna, "Luna! I really need my rest." Lincoln said trying to hide his frustration.

Luna took the hint as she left. "What's going on with you bro you've been acting like a real bonehead lately, and it's not cool?" Lincoln did not reply.

At this moment, he did know if you want to rest anymore until the Loud comedian came in.

"Hey... Lincoln, I hope you're ready because Doctor Ben Smiles is here to turn that frown upside down." Luan beamed wearing a red nose in the doctor's coat. "After all laughter is the best medicine and who better to make you laugh when your dear sister."

"I really rather you not Luan," Lincoln replied grumpily.

"So Lincoln what does the dwarf and cat have in common, they are both grumpy, get it?" Luan joked, making Lincoln groaned with annoyance. "Did you ever hear about the fusion of the two sinuses, the common cold?" Lincoln still was not impressed, not even one smirk. "What do you call two planes that can barely move; airway traffic?"

"Please go away," Lincoln grumbled hiding his face inside his covers.

The number of annoyed groans Lincoln was giving out was a clear indication that his problem was deeper then she imagined. Nonetheless, Luan wanted to at least try to make a grin. "How about this, what did Ace Savvy say at the end of his poker game? I got a Full House, get it?"

"You wanna maybe just go? I'm sure there are other people dying to be annoyed by your puns."

Luan's mouth and eyes widened with shock, if not a bit hurt. Luan silently left the room. "You know something is seriously wrong with you Lincoln.

"No luck dude," Luna asked. "That's way harsh even for him."

Luan shook her head. "Nope, it's more serious than we thought. He would not even laugh at my jokes."

"Of course it is serious siblings; depression is not a symptom that can be cured by happy gestures, no offense." Lisa came in looking at Luan. "It seems like what is elder brother's going through stems from a deeper problem, but what it is still a mystery. The mystery of depression can have various effects on a person."

"What? Lincoln is running for an election. Then who's backing him?" Leni wandered into the conversation.

All three girls slapped their foreheads on Leni's behavior. "No Leni, not election, depression." Luan corrected the dim sister.

"O-M gosh, that is horrible." Leni might not have been the brightest of all the sisters, but she sure as well knew what Depression is.

"I should have known something was going on, Lincoln is almost as moody as Lucy now." Lynn quipped making her way upstairs.

"Even I don't like this condition of Lincoln," Lucy added.

"It's no wonder Linky has been acting like a big meanie lately, can you believe he had the nerve to criticize my skills?" Lola intervened. "Maybe I should have let him a little present."

"Oh yeah sis, like that would make him feel better," Lana said to Lola sarcastically.

"Either way dudes, we have to do something to snap our bro out of this funk he has," Luna suggested. "Whatever is on his mind even if he does not accept it?"

* * *

Lincoln could not help but overhear their conversation even when the store was closed. Lincoln shook his head thinking that the sisters were wasting their time. "You wouldn't understand," Lincoln said to himself as he dozed into his sleep once again.

It was nightfall back at the shelter. The two homeless men had come back. Karen had advised them of Lincoln's condition, yet at the very least, he was better. At least at the point where Lincoln was not suffering pain in his body now anymore. It was quiet them fall day for her as it was eventful for Victor & AJ. They matched earn some little decent profits but not enough to really get them by.

Still, they got home safe and that was all that matters, despite some complications with other hoodlums. They still have their lives and that was all that mattered. The four of them rested to see what the next day would bring them joy. While sleeping it off the middle-child found himself coughing again. Few times became rapid.

After some rapid coughing, Lincoln felt something spill on his hands. He checked to see that it was drops of blood.

Lincoln may not have been a medical expert but he could tell it was not a good sign. "Oh dang it."


	8. Depression's Vice Grip

It was another day of sorrow for the Man with the Plan. The constant headaches and body aches continued throughout the day. Rita did not anticipate the sickness lasting for another day, so she called the school again. Lincoln was bedridden at home with his hand on his face and covers over his body. Rita and Lynn Sr felt bad about leaving their only son in need, but they had to work some important shifts. Fortunately, it gave the little sisters a day off from school to take care of their sick brother, while the older ones had to go. Once again, Lincoln was in charge of babysitting even in his current condition. All Lincoln could do is keep his little sisters within sight range.

He watched as the little ones were preoccupied with their own thing. However, since Lincoln's new attitude and his sick condition, the little sisters dared not to take advantage of the situation. Not that they wanted because of his depression, in fact, they were more worried about his current condition.

"Here big bro, I got you some medicine to help you." Lana gave Lincoln a bottle.

Lincoln accepted. As expected from medicine, it had a nasty taste, but it should help him get on his feet. This medicine did not as it made him queasy inside. Lincoln felt his stomach turn sideways."Uh, Lana, where did you get this medicine?"

"I was dumpster diving with Flip the other day and I happen to find it," Lana answered. "It still had a lot so I figured it would be useful."

This just made Lincoln more nauseous inside. He felt something coming up as he quickly rushed to the bathroom. It was like a volcano ready to erupt as Lincoln felt.

"Well, it is no wonder it left a brother in a nauseated state." Lisa read the medicine. "This medicine expired five years ago. Just what exactly were you thinking?" Lisa lectured.

"Hey, at least I didn't feed him an old couch bagel." Lana shot back. "And you're supposed to be the smart one?"

"Lana, did you just go dumpster diving to find that?" Lola questioned the twin.

"Well, that and I also found this." Lana held a piece of paper with Lincoln's name on it.

Lisa grabbed it and analysis it. "It would seem like this is Lincoln's academic record, street name, report card. Moreover, by the looks of it, it seems like his grades have been dwindling as well as most of his personality. Two D's, one C, and an F, and here I thought Lynn had the poorest grades. Still, the cause of his depression is still a head-scratcher."

The sisters knew the medicine had massive after effects. They could hear Lincoln throwing up the nasty stuff. It lasted from three to ten minutes. The rest of the little sisters stared at the tomboy awkwardly.

Lucy knocked on the bathroom door. "Lincoln, are you okay?"

Lincoln was still puking. "I'm fine, just getting out the rest of that stuff," Lincoln replied as he moaned in pain. Lincoln came out of the bathroom still holding his tummy.

As he came out, he faced off with Lana apologetic expression. "Sorry about that bro." Lana apologized.

"Don't worry about it, alright," Lincoln said, still moaning in pain. He still felt that sour taste in his mouth, enough to make him feel queasy again. Lucy handed Lincoln some water to wash down the taste. "Thanks, Lucy."

"Perhaps it would be best if you leave the treatment to me," Lisa suggested.

After some gurgling, Lincoln lied back on the couch to rest. The medicine did not make him feel better; it only made him feel worse. In his stomach, it felt like he ate some bad food.

"Here you go big brother," Lola presented. "Some nice Chicken Noodle soup to help against your tummy ache, something that is actually fresh this time." Lola reminded turning her eyes to Lana.

"Thanks, Lola," Lincoln said.

Lincoln still felt the migraines inside his brain. He still remembered the recurring daydreams inside his head. It pounded his head like a never-ending drum.

"Elder brother, if you are having difficulties with the home I would be more than happy to assist. With your academics currently down the toilet, this is surely going to cause the utmost concern to the teacher as well as our parental units."

"I can also make a poem to make you day fine." Lucy offered.

"And we can make you more soup." Lola and Lana offered.

"I think I'm going to rest now," Lincoln said mad and weak.

* * *

He took a small snooze; Homeless Lincoln was back on his feet. While the other homeless we are out doing their own thing, Lincoln proceeded on his own path. Unfortunately, however, he was not at one-hundred percent. He still found himself coughing throughout the day, even in work.

"Hey, you alright buddy?" The citizen asked, noticing his non-stop coughing.

"I'm fine, just a little cold," Lincoln replied, feeling some bodily pain.

As he was finished and got his change, Lincoln took off. Lincoln pulled out some cough medicine. Even if he took little amounts at a time to suppress the coughing, it did not heal him completely. Sometimes he would cough up blood, other times it would be regular coughs.

Lincoln knew it was not common for coughing up blood, yet he kept on telling himself that it was not that bad. So long as he took cough medicine, he told himself that everything would be fine. For most, he was glad a homeless like him even had some money even if it was not enough to buy a hotel. Still, he had to maintain his living somehow. For any homeless, every little bit counted.

With every walk, Lincoln felt his body constantly vitiating. It either had to be overexertion or the effects of the medicine. Realizing that he could not keep himself up, Lincoln took a rest at an alley corner. He sat butt on the floor and head on the wall. Even after taking his medicine, the coughs continued as he questioned the medicine's true effects.

Maybe he just needed some food as he thought pulling some crackers out of his coat. Before he could munch, Lincoln overheard rumbling around the trashcan. The first thought was rats and other homeless, but then the sounds grew louder.

As he went investigate, he used stealth trying not to alert the individual. In an attempt to draw out the person, Lincoln taps on the ground. The person came out of the trashcan, revealing to be a little girl around Lincoln's former age. This already plagued his mind with questions.

"I would not eat that if I were you, trust me, you don't want to see the end results," Lincoln warned the girl with a box of old donuts.

"Hey, I'm starving so I'll take my chances." The girl shot back.

"Fine, if you want to experience heavy diarrhea, but there will be someone else who would not be happy with what you're doing." Lincoln tried to warn the girl.

"Seriously another one, what's it take to get it through your stupid heads?" The homeless man shouted. The same man chased Lincoln down salvaging for food. This time, he was arm with a baseball bat, which made Lincoln shake. Without hesitation, he grabbed the little girl's hand and ran off.

The two of them ran as fast as they could until he was out of sight range. The angry homeless chased the two across town. When he found them, he was anticipating the consequences he was going to make them pay. Lincoln and the girl knew this was going to be an unfortunate outcome. Soon the girl got an idea as they were around a crowd of people.

The woman right now the front of them felt a touch at her bottom. Offended, the woman turned around to face her man. The little girl was quick to point the finger at the homeless man that was chasing them.

"Big mistake, you ugly pig!" The woman called out, punching the angry homeless, not hearing anything he said. This chaos gave Lincoln and the little girl a chance to escape.

* * *

It was a narrow escape, but the two of them elude the man. The two of them caught their breath nearby park. Nevertheless, he may not have been happy with her lying, yet he was impressed with the girl's cunningness. Now that person had a bloodthirsty mob to deal with, assuming if he was still around.

"Are you okay?" Lincoln asked, trying to hide concern for his health as he a cough.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl replied.

"Want some?" Lincoln offered her some crackers.

"My parents always said to never take handouts from strangers let alone talk to them." She suspected.

"Understandable, but didn't they always teach to respect your elders, especially for someone who saved your life," Lincoln said.

He got her there. "Well yeah…" She paused.

"Don't worry, I can assure you that I certainly do not bite," Lincoln promised. "Also, your stomach can use it."

He made another good point to the little girl. "Well if I must," She submitted grabbing some crackers. "So what is your name Mister?"

"It's Lincoln, Lincoln Loud." He introduced.

"Lincoln huh, just like the sixteenth president?"

"Yep just like the sixteenth president, only this Lincoln is not a republican, and what's your name?"

"Raina Foggmen." The girl introduced back

"Aren't you a bit young to be out here by yourself?" Lincoln inquired of the girl.

"Humph, I can take care of myself, no one tells me what to do, just me myself and I."

"So you're a runaway?" Lincoln suspected already having a clear idea.

In denial, the little girl turned her eyes the other direction.

"So why are you out here by yourself?" Lincoln asked. "Don't you think your parents might be worried about you?"

"I… who cares." She paused for a moment. "I needed to get away from it all. My big sister, Summer, and her constant win after win after win. It becomes a headache after a while. Do you know what it's like to be…?"

"Constantly outshine by your siblings." Lincoln finished the sentence. The little girl took a questionable glance at Lincoln. "Yeah; I know more than you can imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"You're talking to a guy who comes from a family of ten sisters," Lincoln stated as he pulled out an old photo of his him and his sisters dated more than fifteen years ago. Although torn a bit and dirty, it was still visible. The little girl eyes widened with shock and amazement. "Each of them has their own unique trait to really distinguish from each other. It can be quite chaotic at times."

"Why aren't you a blonde or brunette?" She asked. "Wait a sec, are you adopted?"

Lincoln burst out laughing. "No. I'm a member of the family, genetics just work in many mysterious ways just like the man in the clouds." Lincoln coughed again this time more than once.

"Hey Mister, are you okay?" Raina saw blood within Lincoln jacket on his elbow. She may have been very young, but she knew that was not common.

"Yeah fine, just one of the prices of being homeless, they have the worst health and dental plan. Luckily for me, I still have all my teeth." Lincoln said barely catching some air. "No one to tuck you in and take care of you when you're sick, it's just you and the harsh streets." Raina looked at the bandages on Lincoln's face. "You never know who's going to get you. Believe me; I had my share of beatings. You really don't know who to really trust out here."

Raina cringe at Lincoln's predicament. Seeing the wounds, he was not far from the truth. At her rate, she was fortunate to be in one piece. Just the very idea of being like other homeless people who had worst outcomes had made the girl shake. If this was a Scared Straight program, then it was working. Lincoln glanced as he sensed the fear building up inside of her. If all, he did want the girl ending up as miserable as him

"Why don't we give your parents a call I'm pretty sure they are worried about you? You got a phone?"

Raina shook her head.

"No worries, I got some change." Lincoln spotted a nearby payphone. As she told Lincoln her parent's number, Lincoln waited for an answer in the payphone.

"Hello," The phone answered. Lincoln lifted the girl and put her on the phone.

"Mom," Raina answered back.

"Raina sweetie is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Rania where are you, do you have any idea how worried I was? Are you okay, your not hurt are you?" The mother asked. Lincoln figured this was expected from a parent, especially for a minor.

"I'm fine mom, just fine. But I am lost, and not just talking about in the middle of nowhere lost."

The mom took her calming breath. She felt like she was going to have a heart attack. "Okay look, tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"Okay, I'm at the…" She stammered trying to read the location. Lincoln silently helped by giving her the answers. "Central Park, the park around of downtown."

"Alright, I'll be on my way there just as soon as I get directions, be careful in the meantime." The mother replied, all worried.

"I'll keep you company until your parents get here," Lincoln suggested.

The two of them took a seat on the Park Bench. While sitting, they watched as the day went by for the people and watch the sunrise from the clouds. Throughout the day, Lincoln continued to tell stories about his chaotic family. These stories would lead to many aw's, laughing out loud, gasping in shock, whoaing multiple times, and even questioning many things, such as how could two parents handle eleven children.

"Four dates, all on the same day?" Raina inquired to Lincoln. "Wow that must have been quite an experience. You must have been really mad"

"At first I was, but the more I thought about it, I was more at fault of the situation." Lincoln laid his head on the bench.

"Does it ever get tough living in a house full of girls? Like do you ever feel like the Black Sheep?

It was a tough question as Lincoln averted his eyes. "I would not say the Black Sheep. Sometimes I do feel left out, being the only male aside from my father." Lincoln said. "Plus, they have so many unique talents that define them and even make them more accomplished. Those accomplishments the sister's of mine achieved has created a cycle of envy and jealousy that clouded my life. I ended chasing after something rather than pursuing something."

"Do you ever find yourself hating them?"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, hate is a strong word. Sure, they can be difficult at times, but their kind hearts are always in the right place. Nevertheless, I would be lying if I said sometimes I would take them for granted. One time I wished I had ten brothers instead of ten sisters." Lincoln chuckled remembering how that wonderful incident turned out. Never again would he want to repeat that story.

Raina laughed at Lincoln, therefore, lightening her mood. Lincoln was glad to see her smiling. At least her innocent smile would be enough to inspire hope no matter how truly hopeless. Passing more of the time, Lincoln told her more stories about his home life and his sister's.

"A Sister Fight Protocol and all over a dress?" She inquired again, after hearing the dreadful story of his sister's worse fight. "That sounds so stupid."

"Yeah tell me about it." He told her while trying to maintain his coughs. "That was also a pretty unreasonable experience."

"Do ever think about your sisters?"

"Everyday; I haven't seen or talked to them in years, they probably forgot about little old me. They may have been obnoxious at times, but I was no saint either. I was stubborn and selfish most of the time." Lincoln wondered to himself. "I spent the rest of my life trying to chase them proving my worth, and look where it's gotten me, a cold, distance lonely life in the streets." Lincoln continued to ponder. "Now here I am, just a coward that refuses to face this harsh reality no matter how much it beats you in the face, while all my sisters have moved up in the world," Lincoln said, as his sadness was not obvious to the girl.

The talk between them carried on through the day. He continued to tell stories about his charming sisters to keep her occupied. Much as his situation was sad, he was still glad to make someone else happy. Then again, it was always one of his many traits to make someone happy.

It was until an hour that a red BMW pulled up at the park. Out of the vehicle came a woman who the little girl easily recognizes. It did not take before the little girl went rushing to the woman. Both of the females were in tears as they embrace each other. Lincoln figured as much as he smiles and observes their loving reunion.

The woman walked up to the homeless man as she grasped and touched his hand. She gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you for finding and helping my daughter." The mother thanked Lincoln.

"Don't mention it, ma'am, it was nothing." The woman reached into her purse. "I know it isn't much, but hopefully this will get you on your feet." The woman rewarded Lincoln with a couple of dollars. "You know when she told me that a stranger was helping her; I almost had the nerve to call the police. Raina, did you be sure to thank this nice man?"

Lincoln paled at the idea, but at the same time did not blame the mother.

"Thank Mr. Loud," Raina thanked Lincoln.

"Mr. Loud is my dad's name, call me Lincoln." Lincoln smiled back.

"Thank you Lincoln," Raina repeated.

"No dear, you address him as Mr. Loud." The mother assured.

Quickly, the little girl embraces the homeless man in a quick hug. "Thank you again, Mr. Loud, and I really hope you find your way."

"You are still young and have your whole life ahead of you, try not to take your siblings for granted no matter how many disagreements." Lincoln touched Raina's shoulder.

"You sure you're not adopted?" Raina quickly whispered.

"Positive," Lincoln said without a doubt.

* * *

Lincoln was grateful as he watches the mother and daughter leave. Seeing them together reminded him of his own family. The more he watched them, the more homesick he became. He only wished he taken his own advice sooner, At least he was able to save someone from making the same mistake he has.

Going by faint memory, Lincoln still remembered his older sister phone number. He got used to it with the way he would often talk and text on her phone.

After putting some change in the payphone, Lincoln started to think of many things. Waiting for the pick-up, one of the many is if she would answer, or if it was still Lori's number, and better yet what would he even say. It had been so long since communication between him and his sister's. The tension made his heart race.

"Hello," The phone answered. By the familiar, yet older voice, it certainly sounded like his older sister.

Lincoln did not respond as his heart suddenly froze. A Lot of tension built up inside of him. Lincoln's brain could not muster the right words to say. All that was heart was slow airs at a time.

"Hello," Lori repeated. Still, there was no response. She waited a couple of minutes for a voice, but it was still silent.

Lori was very impatient. "Look I literally don't know who you are, but I do not appreciate your stupid prank calls, so don't call this number again, you hear me!"

The call ended as the machine demanded more change. Well, one thing was clear Lori's Behavior has not changed. In the end, nothing was accomplished as he left his older sister high and dry. Lincoln did not know what went wrong. Lincoln now knew how it was when a fan meets someone famous. Vocal Cords were heavily strain from fear. The silence ended as Lincoln a cough again. No matter how much cough he took, it was recurring. It was like a fly that could not escape its environment.

As he took a walk, he took a seat on the grass. Lincoln stared at the rising crescent moon. He saw his sister's faces through the night sky. As he pulled out his photo, the homesick nature started to increase. Times like this wished he was a kid again.

"Makes me wonder if what my family would think if they saw me now," Lincoln said reflecting. "Would they happy to see me no matter what? Or would they be disgusted and ashamed of me?" Lincoln glanced at his old photo again as tears rolled down his. The tears dropped onto the picture. "I'm such a coward," as he sobbed through the night.


	9. Inferiority complex

**A/N: After watching Head Poet A** **nxiety, I had to write this.** **I found myself listening to Mr. Mister Broken Wings song, while making this chapter.**

* * *

A day has passed within the streets since helping out the little girl, and at the very least, he was compensated for his efforts. Despite Lincoln frail health, he tried to maintain throughout the harsh days even if the coughs would not stop. Still, at least he was not alone with his new homeless allies. As hours went by, Lincoln kept looking at his old family photo. He starts to wonder how they were maintaining without him or even if they forgot about him. Still, the more he glances, the more homesick he became.

The day went by slowly as he sat on a bench. He said staring at the house of faith where miracles would come and go or some would often say. However, at his standing, he was still waiting for that next big miracle.

"Oh my, you have such a big family." A nun noticed on Lincoln's family photo.

"Yeah, they are all my loving sisters," Lincoln answered the nun.

"Are you here for the offering?" The nun asked.

"Not exactly, I'm here waiting for a friend that stopped by here."

"You must be one another one of the unfortunate." The nun said sadly. "Do not worry young one, my sister's and I will continue to offer our prayers in terms of better accommodations."

"Yeah well if it actually worked, it would get me and my friend out of this rathole years ago." Lincoln shot back.

The nun grasped Lincoln's hands. "Try to be patient young one, something will come for you before you know it."

Lincoln coughed again as he tried covering it up with his hands. After the fourth to an eighth cough, blood nearly covered his palm. From the sight, Lincoln kept telling himself that this was only a temporary matter, and should not worry too much. Yet the number of coughs he went through told another story.

"Hey sorry I took so long Lincoln." The dark-skinned veteran comes out of the church. Victor noticed Lincoln coughing as he patted his back. "Hey, you okay little man?"

"Yeah, just haven't been at one hundred percent lately." Lincoln moaned, trying to hide his pain, but the war veteran could see otherwise. "So did you take care of business when you were in there?"

"Yeah, and giving some long overdue time here. Even after all these years my fate still remains."

"I just don't understand how you can put so much faith in someone that does not exist."

"He helps all of his children, he's never limited to some. I mean he certainly helps me assure my survivor during the wars."

"But apparently didn't save you from becoming homeless," Lincoln argued back walking with the man. Victor took a look a Lincoln. "Sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's alright little man, you depending on people's situation, their faith is limited to the point of not believing anymore," Victor explained to Lincoln. "But that's not me since my family comes from a long line of Christians. No matter what, my mother always held her faith, even after my dad left when I was ten years old."

Lincoln glanced at the man with curiosity. "Your dad?"

"Yeah, my dad was a Bluesman, while my mother worked as a grocery store clerk for the past thirty years. She worked hard to support me, even if my family did not have that much money. And sometimes on her days off on Sunday, my mother and grandmother would always take me to church, mainly as a way of keeping me off the streets."

"So what happened then?"

"When I graduated from college, I joined the army. It was quiet at first, but then wartime comes in years later. I was one of the many followers of a platoon." Victor continued. "Soon a decade later it was over. It was a hard fought battle, but then harsh reality came in, as the government did not help that many vets, even the ones diagnosed with PTSD. All they just said was "sucks to be you" even the job market was not so kind to the veteran. Soon after my mother passed away I was unable to cover most of the hospital bills even with a house on mortgage."

"That's rough,"

"Yeah but my grandma always said, 'the first step to a miracle is patients child.' Whether we know it or not, there is a plan for everybody."

Lincoln did not believe it at first but then kept that advice in mind.

"Speaking of plans," Victor handed Lincoln a paper. "There is a homeless shelter opening up across town, all homeless are welcome, but we better hurry, otherwise they are going to fill up fast."

"That's a relief, sure beats sleeping on a messy floor of a rundown gas station."

Victor slapped Lincoln's back excitedly. "Oh, I hear that Karen and AJ are going to love the good news."

Lincoln thought about it a bit, and then a thought came to mind. "Go on without me Victor, there is something I have to do, I'll meet you back alright," Lincoln said taking off.

Lincoln made it back to the abandoned alley. The old car was still there, much to his relief. As he made it, he took a knock on the tinted windows. As there was no response, he knocked twice. Before he could knock again, the door slammed open to his face, making Lincoln fly back.

"Look, daddy, it's the man you robbed weeks ago," The daughter came out.

"Hey I have a name you know, it's Lincoln." Lincoln clarified.

"What's all the commotion?" The father was still half-asleep. He then noticed Lincoln. "Oh, it's you?"

Lincoln still felt the pain on his face as he rose up. "I just wanted to give you this." Lincoln offered the paper to the father. "A nice place for you and your family to stay, it certainly beats hiding out in a car most of the time."

"Well thank you, Lincoln," The father thanked.

"There are filling out fast so I would suggest you motor on over, get it?" Lincoln cracked a joke, once again did not earn their amusement. "Nevermind, just get there as soon as possible."

As Lincoln took off, he started to cough again. He was on his last bottle of cough medicine. He was not sure how long it would last him, but it should help reduce the coughing.

Victor's words were not far from the truth on the crowd. The line stretched from a mile to a block from town. Lincoln was not at all surprised as he was used to dealing with a crowd, his big family was a prime example of that. Lincoln, AJ, Karen, and Victor were fortunate enough to make it hours before the opening. Now they only hope they were fortunate enough to make it in the shelter in time.

"Sorry I'm late guys," Lincoln said to the others.

"We were beginning to worry about you," AJ said to Lincoln.

"Yeah, sorry, just had to take care of a few things."

It was close, but the homeless family managed to make it, even if they were not behind Lincoln and the others. It brought a smile to his face, knowing that they made it.

Minutes turned into hours as they awaited entry like theme park line. Most of the homeless were almost half-asleep from all the waiting, others nearly died of boredom on the wait. As the line started to move, Lincoln and the others were nearly at the entrance.

"Attention everyone, I regret to inform you, we only have few spaces left, and we will be closing the doors soon." One of the workers's cried. "We will be taking few people."

A crowd of Aw's unison the whole place.

Lincoln and the others were up next, the proceeded.

"You're the last one son," The worker informed Lincoln.

Lincoln was stunned in place as the family behind him was waiting patiently. They already had sad faces as they heard the news. Lincoln took a quick look at them.

"Give the last place to them," Lincoln told the worker, pointing to the homeless family. "They need it more than I do."

"Kid, are you sure?" AJ inquired.

"Yeah Lincoln, you're going to be out here by yourself?" Karen asked worried about Lincoln.

"Don't worry about me guys, I'll be fine," Lincoln assured.

"Lincoln, we cannot thank you enough," The father was relieved.

Lincoln gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it alright."

"You be careful out there little man, and just remember what I said before." Victor reminded.

Once again, Lincoln's good nature did not change. He realizes that he gave away his position of shelter to someone, yet they really needed it. As he walked on the streets, he started to remember all the times he made sacrifices. He mostly made them for his sister's and sometimes his friends, but as long as they were happy nothing else mattered.

Lincoln may not have been a parent, but he still felt sympathy for the Man and his family. If all, even he would do what he could to help his offspring. Often at times, he would reflect on the times, he felt like a parent to his little sisters, similar to how Lori was to her siblings.

Still, that was before and this is now. They were such sweet memories.

Nightfall was upon him, so Lincoln decided to take shelter, but it was not at the abandoned gas station this time. That task was delay as he witnesses the place get bulldoze, he was starting to regret not staying at the new shelter.

Disappointed as he was, he did not let that get him down. He came to an alley and accessed the latter chute. Lincoln made it to the roof as nothing was with him but a water tower. After a yawn, Lincoln lied on the ground staring at the nightly stars.

"The first step to a miracle is patients." Lincoln reminded himself, assuming if he wanted to believe it. Still, it would not hurt to have a bit of faith. As he looked at both his photo and the sky, more thoughts came into his head.

"I wonder how everyone is doing?" Lincoln said as he eyes closed.

* * *

Days became weeks as the middle-child found his mind still in the gutter. Everyday Lincoln's moods gotten shrink lower. He even found tears in his eyes, or it could have been his father onion sauce. Not one trace of happiness was visible on his face. He was almost on Lucy's level of moodiness, but even she was not depressed all the time. The Emo still showed happiness every now and then even if it was not always visible upon her face. In Lincoln's case, it was as if Lucy's influence had spread like a disease.

The white-haired child sat quietly to eating his breakfast. He prepared for another day, not that it made a difference anyway. As he glanced at his glass cup, he saw Homeless Lincoln staring at him again. Even if he was feeling better, he still felt little migraines in his head. At the table, he would not stop staring at the Trophy Case, once again serving as a reminder of what his successful sisters but he did not.

As he went to wash his dish, the Goth sister appeared behind him all of a sudden. The shock nearly caused him to drop his bowl but saved it. "What is it, Lucy?" Lincoln said, nearly going irate.

"I have Poetry Reading coming up, so I got to know, how do you have Thick Skin?"

"Why do you even care, you barely feel a thing?"

"If I felt nothing, then I would not have ask you."

"Then ask Luan or something, I'm in no mood, and I got to get to school," Lincoln argued back, stomping away from his dark sister.

"Linky; is this too much eyeliner on my face?" Lola pointed out.

"Not now Lola," LIncoln declined.

"But Linky, it's super important for the competition, and Lindsey Sweetwater is not going to outshine me."

Just the words alone were enough to make Lincoln twitch his eye. "I don't know! For god sakes Lola, figure it out for yourself, aren't you supposed to be the big expert on this! Lincoln shouted as he did not want to hear any more of it. Just the outburst alone and scowl was enough to make Lola slip off her toes.

"Hey there Lincoln," Luan greeted Lincoln with a big grin. "Do you know what the burlap sack said to the frown? He asked why you are such a sad sack, get it?" Luan cracked a morning pun, much to Lincoln annoyance. "I said, get it?"

"I'm really not in the mood Luan."

"Then I think it's about time I lighten the mood," Luan joked again shining a flashlight into Lincoln's eyes, nearly blinding him. "So Lincoln, did I brighten up your day?"

This pun only further annoyed him as he walked away. He grabbed his backpack and head out the door. "The only thing that will ever make my day bright is if you do not talk. At least your mime act would be far less annoying." Lincoln grumpily replied.

"That was harsh dude." Luna pulled Lincoln's arm. "Seriously what's wrong with you? Why you acting like such a bonehead, did up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Luna noticed.

Lincoln grunted as he pulled his arm away.

"And those were my best puns," Luan said back. "Have you guys had any luck trying to cheer Lincoln up?" Luan asked the little sisters.

The little sisters shook their heads in shame.

"Yes, well not only that but this," Lisa added showing the older sisters the Report Card.

Luna took the Report Card and was shocked. "Bogus dude, he actually is making Lynn's grades look good."

"Whatever the case in Elder Brother's condition, I feel it getting worse, observe." Lisa presented her notes. "While Lincoln was dozing off, I used my scanners to check his pulse rate within his brain and heart monitors. In addition, from what I found out, the problem is more serious than we thought. I feel that his condition must lie within his dreams, therefore, affecting most of his head. Lincoln's depression levels are worst then we thought."

"Hey Lincoln, I heard Lori won her big Golf Game if only I can say my proper congratulations to her, but I ended up passing out before I can get there," Clyde stated, meeting up with Lincoln. "I bet Lori most of been really amazing and beautiful," as Clyde begin to fantasize on Lori. "Man if only we can play golf together."

Lincoln took an irritated sigh. "I really wish you get over this obsession you have with my older sister, and besides you do realize she has a boyfriend?"

"That may be, but it helps to be prepared to be a rebound guy."

Lincoln did not want to hear any more. He took another sigh of irritation as he walked ahead of Clyde. Knowing that Lincoln did not want to hear this, Clyde decided to switch the conversation. "So I heard you were sick the last couple days, how have you been lately?"

"Terrible Clyde," Lincoln said, as the moodiness was clear.

"Are you still sick buddy?"

"No Clyde it's nothing like that, just has not been a good week for me lately." Lincoln snorted. "I mean every day has been the same lately. Everything is all about my dumb sisters and what they did. They won this, they won that, all over again, I keep hearing the same thing." Lincoln started to rant. "Honestly, it's gonna make me puke."

Clyde heard Lincoln's rant and easily took noticed of it. "Lincoln I may not be an expert on Human Behavior even with my multiple sessions with Dr. Lopez. But are you jealous of your sisters?"

Knowing that this was not Lincoln's usual behavior, Clyde widened on his sudden rants. Lincoln scoffed at the question as he continued to walk away. Clyde followed as he wondered. By the way, Lincoln did not answer the question; it was as if Clyde was on the mark. Still, it left a bit of concern within the nerdy best friend.

School life went on like any other day. As the class took a test, Clyde still was concerned for his best friend, as he could not take his eyes off Lincoln. After multiple glances, Mrs. Johnson cleared her throat thus advising the Clyde to keep his eyes on his own paper. With one eye, Clyde saw Lincoln skimming through his test without ease, but at the same time without any major effort. To his surprise, he was the first to finish.

"Done so soon Lincoln?" Mrs. Johnson questioned with skepticism. "You know you've been rushing through your schoolwork lately? Are you sure, you don't want to maybe take a second look?"

"Whatever, it's done," Lincoln uncaring replied as he left.

Mrs. Johnson took a sigh of disappointment as she looked at Lincoln's behavior lately. It almost made her heartache as she had marked his test as a failure. Usually, this would not cause any major concern with the homeroom teacher, but this has been recurring lately, Agnes could not help but wonder about Lincoln.

As the bell ring, signaling school was out, everyone walked out of the classroom. "Lincoln, mind if I have word with you?" Mrs. Johnson called out.

Lincoln faced off with Mrs. Johnson of a face of pure emptiness. By the looks of it, Lincoln was anything but having a good day. "Have a seat?" Agnes offered.

Mrs. Johnson cleared her throat. "Now then Lincoln, I know you've been sick these past few days, but at the same time, I have been noticing a recent change in your behavior lately, and not of the good kind. Is there something wrong Lincoln?"

"Nope nothing, just the usual," Lincoln denied.

"Are you sure?" Agnes pressed on the subject. "Trouble at home or problems with Ronnie Anne lately?"

"I really need to get home Mrs. Johnson, I have things to do, so can I go now?" Lincoln rushed rudely.

"Very well then, but be sure to give this to your parents when you get home." Mrs. Johnson gave Lincoln a letter.

* * *

As school went out, Lincoln had separated from his best friend and sisters. They wanted to ask a question on what he was doing, but Lincoln had already left. This left both worries for his best friend and the little sisters. With the way Lincoln attitude has been, the little sisters dared not follow, and they had their own things to do.

The snow-haired child made his way through town with a list of destinations. It was going to be a long day for him, but it would all be worth it soon. He figured if his sisters could have all this talent and success then so can her. For his first stop, Lincoln participated in a golf contest. Since he watched his older sister practicing golfing, he figured it could be easy. However, he was all on his own since he did not have a caddie, not that it mattered to him.

As Lincoln performed multiple swings, the ball went to places other than the hole. It even busted a few glasses. Before long, his recklessness had him escorted out by security. For the next patch, he attended a Fashion Show. Given all the fabric material, he had something to work with. Since the first task did not work out, he figured maybe this will. Modeling for his second eldest sister, he knew most of it but not all. He was given a time-limited to make it into suitable clothing. When the clothing Lincoln made was shown, it was not a pleasant sight. It was the most uneven ugliest design that earns laughter among the audience.

The third place had followed a few Talent Shows. First Lincoln tried his luck in music. With his music set from him and Clyde adventure, he started to play music. As he faced off with the crowd, it was anything but good music. Instead of endless boos, he faced off amounts of ears covered. Each tone Lincoln put out was more noise and less music. Lincoln was not done just yet, as he decided to do standup, at least the audience would not have to hear any more of the noise.

"So guys anyone hear about the camera and the arrow combined? A Camaro right." Lincoln told the audience. There was nothing but dead silence. "Okay, next one, the statue, and ice have something in common alright, they are both frozen, zing."

"Get off the stage you talentless hack!" One of the audience members cried out.

"Yo funny guy, I got a joke for you! What do you call a white-haired guy who's not funny?" Easy, he's the idiot standing on stage right now." Another audience member insulted Lincoln.

Before Lincoln could make more puns, tomatoes and vegetables started to fly his way. Being a boy of thick skin, boos or negative outburst did not bother him all that much. He would have tried to keep going if security did not already escort him off stage. As he got thrown out of the building, it was yet another failed attempt to reach something.

Lincoln tried his luck in Soccer, which seems like the less violent sport out there. Lincoln used his feet as much as he could to balance the ball. As he kicked the shot in the goal, it brought a smirk to his face. Too bad his teammates were not happy as once again, his knowledge of the sport became his immediate downfall. He scored on the wrong team, and his teammates were angry at him, causing Lincoln to be chased down and pummeled. It was yet, another failed attempt at something.

* * *

Meanwhile back at home, the Loud Family was doing their thing. Lynn Sr worked on dinner for the family, while the Loud Sisters chilled in the living room. Lisa worked more on her experiments. Lucy read her book of poems. Lola admired her good looks in her mirror. Lana played with the Charles, and Lily played with block toys. The older sisters occupied the TV watching the latest episode of Dream Bout. Relaxing as it was for them, the relaxation was sudden.

"Lynn I got a call from the school," Rita informed.

"Lisa, what did you blow up this time?" Lynn Sr demanded.

"Negative father, and besides the school really needs to update their science equipment." Lisa retorted.

"Lola, did you get into another fight?" Lynn asked the princess.

"No," Lola replied back.

"No Lynn, it's not Lisa or Lola. It's Lincoln." Rita showed a note from school.

"What a minute, Lincoln?" Lynn Sr asked with surprise. "He's never had problems in school before."

"Apparently there is a first time for everything. Have you girls seen Lincoln?"

All the girls shook their heads.

Lola was already sour on the subject. "Who cares about that jerky-pants?"

"Yeah, he's been acting like something crawled up his butt lately," Lana added also angry.

"Now you two, I'm pretty sure Lincoln would not act harshly without a good reason," Rita stated.

When knocks came out the door, Rita was the first answer it thinking that it was Lincoln, however, it was not, much to her disappointment.

"Hey there family," Pop-Pop greeted happily.

"Hey Dad," Rita greeted back.

As the exchanged hugs and pleasantries to the children, the grandfather noticed something. "Hey you seem to be short one Lincoln, so where's my look alike?"

"I don't know dad, it's been hours and still no response, but I'll give him a call." Rita got on her phone. She waited a few minutes for an answer. After a response, she got Lincoln's voicemail. "Lincoln, this is your mother, give me a call whenever you get the chance, your father and I would like to speak with you regarding your progress report."

"Guess I'll have to try the other line." Rita got on Lincoln's Walkie Talkie. "Clyde, Clyde, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Lincoln," Clyde responded. "Um, what's wrong with your voice?"

"Clyde, this is Lincoln's mother."

"Oh hi Mrs. Loud, how's it going?"

"I was hoping you can tell me, Clyde; has Lincoln been at your house recently?"

"No; I haven't seen Lincoln since school. All he told me is that he had things to do." Clyde replied. "Is there something wrong?"

"I see, well if you do find him, than please let me know."

"Will do Mrs. Loud."

* * *

Trying to follow up his past failures, Lincoln tried his luck in science. He participated in a school Science Fair. Dealing with Lisa's endless amounts of science stuff, his knowledge was very limited. With careful handling, he mixed chemicals at a time. It was almost time, but he managed to finish, only to finish with an explosion through the school. Luckily, the chemicals were non-lethal, so no one was hurt, just an epic mess. Not only was the boy disqualified and possibly ban, but also he ridiculed and laughed at.

The laughter of his failure only continued as Lincoln was being chased by an alligator. Again, he foolishly attended without any knowledge or major experience only to have it backfire right in his face. The judge's yawn throughout the whole scenario Lincoln was being chased. By the time, Lincoln was out of danger; he was the only one there. The only person that had remained present was the janitor and he told him to just go.

Lincoln did not give him as he tried the Poetry Club. Since always giving Lucy the words she needed for her poem, he figured he had nothing to worry. Yet again, it did not work out well as he booed off the stage even before he got to his second line. no one even gave him a chance to read the rest of his made-up poems. It was another most unfortunate failure as food hailed at him. It was very clear that Lincoln was not poetic.

Lincoln found himself inhaling and exhaling at a time staring at the bathroom mirror. He stared at his absolute face of misery. Depression was really starting to take hold of him. Every task he attempted had only ended in failure and humiliation. Nothing went right this day. In the mirror, he saw his future self, constantly reminded him of his failure. Added to his misery, was Lincoln's sisters laughing at him at his failure.

It was literally feeling like Deja-Vu as he felt the mocking.

Each word that uttered in his head gave more migraines. It continued to echo through his head as he could barely think. Anger, frustration, sadness, and anguish mixed into a dark blender of emotions, causing him to lose sight of his current self.

"ENOUGH!" Lincoln burst, punching the bathroom mirror.

The middle-child was paralyzed as he barely felt the overwhelming pain in his knuckles. Blood was dripping from his fist like a leaky pipe, yet Lincoln did not mean in pain. Both his head and body were shaking. Lincoln's thoughts were back to working order, yet still felt the pain within his hand.

The boy thought he needed some air as he stepped outside. He travels through the darkened streets, waiting for his next move that is if he had one. Like his future self, Lincoln started to feel alone and isolated. The day just became more unpleasant as thunderstruck and drips of rainwater fell from the sky. Next to follow the day of misfortune, was Lincoln's shoe coming apart. It was then followed by a splash of puddle water. The final nail in the coffin was getting push to the alley corner and losing his phone, only to get run over by a car.

"DANG IT!" Lincoln called out, nearly echoing the streets.

Lincoln may not have been on drugs, but his mind was most definitely in the gutter. Responding to a glance of his future self, he took a seat in the dark alley. With the other homeless person resting in the alley, at least he would not be alone. As glanced at a glass bottle, he took hold of it. He took a sip of the drink but was disgusted on the rancid taste. He did not know how adults deal with this stuff. Alcohol did not fit well with him, especially for his young body.

If this was his bad luck that Lynn was so worried about, then it had come true. Lincoln felt the weight of the situation hover above his head, other than the endless drops of water. He sat as he let the storm bury him into a watery grave of sorrow.

"It's just not fair!" Lincoln yelled throwing the bottle away, only to slam into a car, not that Lincoln cared anymore. "Why me?"

Alerted by the noise of the car, a hooded figure approaches Lincoln.

"You might as well take me. It's not like I have anything left anymore." Lincoln pouted, not caring, confusing the figure as the Grim Reaper.

The figure unhooded to show a familiar face. "Lincoln?"

"Mrs. DiMartino?" Lincoln asked in shock as both people stared at each other with curiosity and surprised through the rainy night.


	10. Heart to Heart

It was literally a dark day for the middle-child child, and it was not just the sky. Lincoln felt himself drowning in the raindrops. Tears poured down his eyelids, although it could have just been Rainwater. He was completely drenched to the point of catching a cold as his mind was in shutdown mode. Lincoln's was anything but the world he was living in. It is as if his own sorrows have taken over him as Lincoln barely even notices his former crush right in front of his face. He did not even stutter one second even around Ms. Dimartino very appearances.

He made absolutely no response to her whatsoever. Now the substitute teacher definitely knew something was up with Lincoln. By the wetness on his face, she could tell that these were not ordinary tears.

"Lincoln!" The substitute teacher called out.

Just like that, the middle-child was snap back to reality. The first thing, the teacher's eyes were on was Lincoln's injury to his knuckles. She was tempted to ask, but his emotionless face made it clear that he did not want to talk right now.

"Why don't I get you home, your folks must be really worried about you?" Dimartino offered her hand. Dimartino car windshield as damaged, yet it was the least of her concerns right now. She did not care how much rainwater was getting in her car.

Dimartino took Lincoln to her car; she wasted no time turning on the heater. She knew Lincoln had been frozen from the cold. Lincoln was silent throughout the ride home.

* * *

The Loud parent paced back and forth as a lot of things went through her head. Looking at the harsh sky outside, she knew it was definitely not a pleasant evening. In addition, there were still unanswered calls from her son and friends claim to have not seen Lincoln since school. Rita's worry grew from every minute that passed. No matter how much she hoped, there was still nothing.

"Luan, have you heard anything from Lincoln yet?" Rita asked.

"Nope, he's not answering my calls either, wherever the heck he is, it's not like it matters to me anyway," Luan responded in a bitter tone.

Rita winces at the sudden attitude. "What's wrong honey, usually you're the happy one?"

"Lincoln has been really cold lately, and not in a funny way."

Rita begins to suspect something as she was told the same response without a care. "Now Luan I'm sure there is an explanation of why Lincoln is acting this way lately."

"Indeed mother, brother's negativity outputs are all the signs of clinical depression what our male sibling has been going through." Lisa had explained.

Rita was intrigued. "Okay girls, I want to hear the whole story."

The Loud children spared no expense with the details. They put it in the simplest words possible without any complicated explanation, at least for the young scientist. Rita also took a surprising gasp over the situation that was just explained to her.

"Look, I know you girls were only trying to help, but the problem is deeper than that. You should have told me or your father." Rita clarified. "What your brother is going through is more than just a common sickness. Nonetheless, I am going to have a talk with him. Right now, get ready for bed."

Rita continued to ponder to herself. After a half hour, Rita checked her watch again. "That's it, I'm calling the police." Before Rita could touch her phone, she heard a knock at the door.

"Hello Mrs. Loud, I believe this belongs to you." Ms. Dimartino was at the front door with the soaked Lincoln.

"LINCOLN! Oh, thank goodness!" The mother was quick to pull him into a hug, yet Lincoln did not embrace back.

"It would seem like he was lost somewhere, luckily I was there. Also his phone…" Ms. Dimartino held the busted pieces of Lincoln's cell phone. Guess this saved the trouble of Rita even asking.

Rita also glanced at Lincoln's poorly bandage knuckle, which caused greater worry for the mother. Lincoln had a dirty appearance just like any homeless person. And Lincoln's silent emotionless expression was enough to put Lucy's to shame.

"Wait in the kitchen sweetie, I'll be there in a little bit," Rita said with both a worry and angry tone. As Lincoln left to his room, she turned her attention to the substitute teacher. "Thank you so much for finding Lincoln Ms. Dimartino. I was so worried."

"Not a problem Mrs. Loud, but I must say, your son is not his usual self."

"No kidding, from what I heard from my daughter's, it's anything but usual. I would dare say unusual. Anyway, thank you for finding Lincoln, and I'm sorry if he caused you any trouble."

"No worries at all. Aside from that, I have another matter I wish to discuss with you."

The conversation came to an end as Rita gently shut the front door. As she met up with her quiet son, she pulled out the First Aid Kit from the cabinet. No matter how much Rita wanted to scold her son until the cows came home, her first priority was taking care of her son. As the tissue bandages were taken off, she applied rubbing alcohol onto the wound. Rita was surprised how much he did not react to the stinging sensations applied to his wound.

Rita felt blind for not seeing it at first. If all, the mother thought it was a natural faze. The depression really showed on his facial expressions, making the Goth look happy-go-lucky by comparison. Lincoln held the face of both sadness and hopelessness. The more she glanced at her son's face, the more her worry meter increase.

As Rita grabbed Lincoln's hand, she tossed a dry towel upon Lincoln's wet head. She then started to put on the new bandages on his knuckles. After the final wrap, she sat at her son's level.

Breaking her silence, Rita asked, "Lincoln is everything okay?"

In a quiet Mello tone, Lincoln replied. "I don't know."

"Head to bed, right now you look exhausted and need to rest. We will talk about this tomorrow." Rita told her son, trying to hold back her anger. "Also, I'm still going to punish you for being out so late. You are grounded for a week. And for failing to tell me about your note from Mrs. Johnson, make that two weeks."

Once again, Lincoln was not fazed by this outcome as he dragged himself to bed. The parent only hoped that the boy did not have dangerous thoughts.

* * *

Okay kids, up and Adam, I want to hear your feet on the floor." Rita called out. As she heard everyone's feet, she did not hear everything that morning. "You too Lincoln, wake up!" There was no response. "Lincoln get up right now!"

"I'm right here!" Lincoln replied, behind his mother, nearly scaring Rita. Even after last night, he was still feeling cranky. "Seriously, I'm not the only lazy one in this house, you know."

"Sorry Lincoln, force of habit. Either way, you all set for today?" Rita inquired.  
"Yeah, I am," Lincoln, replied as the mood was still melancholy.

"Oh and Lincoln; I had a talk with Ms. Dimartino about the damage you done to her car. Luckily, we don't have to pay anything out of our own pocket as she has agreed to let you work off the damages." Rita stated. "So for the next few Saturdays, you're going to be helping her with things which means you're going to, unfortunately, miss out on our trip to Dairyland."

"I understand," Lincoln replied again. After hearing the news, Lincoln's mood suddenly changed. "Wait, you guys are going to DairyLand?"

"Yeah, it seems like your sister Lucy was fortunate enough to win a family trip that's good for a month."

"No surprise there." Lincoln rolled his eyes in sarcasm, but he was not too disappointed.

The day was just beginning, the girls excitedly rushed downstairs. Teeth were brushed, hair was combed, and they were dressed for the wonderful weekend trip. All except Lincoln of course. Each of them was bursting with excitement to the max. Too bad, he could not share their happiness or happiness in general, not that he cared anyway.

"Hey kids, you ready for a day of fun at DairyLand?" Lynn Sr asked, causing more cheers among the girls. Lynn checked his watch. "Well, we better hurry as a fast as we could before the line for the new ride crowds up."

"Hold your houses dear, first we got to drop Lincoln off," Rita interjected.

The ride over to the first destination was silent. Lincoln nor the girls had not spoken a word. No doubt, the girls were still angry at his past behavior, which he could not blame them. It was concerning of how he remained quiet over being denied a trip to DairyLand since the very mention of it would bring him happiness. That happiness was far away from home right now. Still, it was not one of his concerns right now. Maybe was what he really needed, there was so much praise attention that he could possibly take.

"Okay Lincoln, have fun working with Ms. Dimartino, and do try to keep your eyes on something other than her." Rita reminded Lincoln, leaving the girls laughing at him.

* * *

Well, at least they did not lose their sense of humor. With a breath, Lincoln walked to the front door. He watched as his family left for a day of fun, while he was on community service.

As the door open, the lovely substitute teacher greeted in a white T-shirt and black pants. "Hello Lincoln, why don't we get started."

Not happy or enthusiastic, Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure, whatever."

Venturing into the one-story house, Lincoln noticed a lot of boxes unorganized. "Moving out?" He was the first to ask.

"Moving in actually, since I got a new job here in Royal Woods, I hadn't had time really settle in." Ms. Dimartino replied. "But that is where a strong man like you came in." Ms. Dimartino winked and giggled.

Even upon a glance, Lincoln was the same. Not once did he have a love-struck reaction to the substitute. Ms. Dimartino figured the problem was deeper than he thought when Lincoln did not even smile.

The day started out with manual labor. It started from one box place to another. Knowing women, there was more than a couple of boxes. With Dimartino supervision, he was instructed the different places she wanted them. Quietly and remotely, he obeyed her orders without question. By each label and weight, he had a clue was in it. Not one instance did Lincoln ever take a glance at the beautiful substitute.

The following task, she instructed was cleaning up the house. Fortunately, he did not have to clean up the whole house, since she was already doing that, just a few things. The task would include cleaning the windows and taking out the trash. For a woman living alone, he was shocked at how much garbage she had laying around, something no woman would have.

The third task for the day was pulling weeds. Since the summer was in session, the heat was scorching. It was not too bad at ninety-five degrees. He could only imagine how worse it will get throughout the season. As always, he followed his assignments, not one second was his mind on a good time he could have been having at DairyLand. Not that he cared anyway.

Ms. Dimartino came in with a picture of a yellow cold drink. As she poured the first patch, she presented Lincoln a cup. It was a good thing too because Lincoln was parched. Even if Lincoln did not show it, signs of depression were still obvious to his face as the teacher seen. She knew for sure that this was not the same happy child she met before. So one way or another, she had to get to the bottom of it.

"Why don't we take a break dear?" Ms. Dimartino told Lincoln. She went to the backyard porch and instructed the boy to sit next to her.

Without a nervous sweat, Lincoln followed. He was not happy about it. Lincoln scoffed as he avoided eye contact. As Dimartino had seen, Lincoln's facial expression was whatever.

"I saw you attempting a lot of activities the other day." She stated. Getting the elephant out of the room, she decided to ask. "Don't you think you may be carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders for an eleven-year-old?" Dimartino inquired to Lincoln with seriousness.

"Why bother, I'll amount to nothing anyway but a dirty street corner, while everyone is just living it up with their new lives."

The substitute now had a clear idea what was going on. "You know, there was a naive girl with a lot of uncertainties when she was your sister's age. Like you, she wanted so badly to catch up with someone and eventually be recognized. The list of choices was lining up for her. First, she wanted to be a Firefighter, but she froze on the sight of fire. Then she wanted to be a Dentist, but could not stomach the sight of unhealthy teeth. The next thing she wanted to do was an act, yet she could not even remember the lines, not one bit." Dimartino explained to Lincoln.

Lincoln listened to the conversation. "So what happened then?"

"She then tried getting in the construction business but was terrified of heights. She intended to give up until something came calling to her." Lincoln continued to listen. "She came across a runaway child. To avoid the child making a huge mistake, she convinced her not to run away. Before she knew it, the child was already back home to her mom and dad. Therefore, after that time, that is where the naive girl had deep realization and she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to make a difference just like the little girl and she did."

"That must have been something."

"Yes it was a hard challenge, but at the same time she did not let that overwhelming pressure consume her, so she continued to follow her own path." Dimartino kneed down to Lincoln's level right in front of him. "Lincoln, you are still very young, you have your whole life ahead of you. You should not be letting this stress and inferiority of others get the better of you or else it will end up driving people away from such as your friends and even your family."

Lincoln then held his head down as he started to reflect. He remembered the times that he was not exactly nice and fair to his sisters. Just the very harsh reminder made him guilty inside.

Mrs. Dimartino words sunk in as he continued his work. When he grabbed the next box in the house, he carried it to the next stop. Lincoln's pursuit ended as his mind was distracted. He slipped on a plastic cup, which leads to his crash. Alerted by the noise, Mrs. Dimartino rushed to the den.

"Lincoln, are you alright?" She wasted no time helping the middle-child on his feet.

"Yeah, I just tripped."

"Then be more careful, are you hurt anywhere?" Mrs. Dimartino inquired with worry in her eyes.

Lincoln got up on his feet, rubbing his forehead. On the top of his head, he pulled off a female inside shirt. He may have been young, but he knew what it really was. Mrs. Dimartino quickly snatched it away before Lincoln could even touch it. She turned around hiding her obvious embarrassment. She handled the clothes instead.

"I would appreciate it if you never speak of this again." She ensures Lincoln.

Once again, Lincoln did not react and just remained calm and quiet. As he helped with the mess, Lincoln's eyes caught something. He picked up a sketch drawing, yet it was more than one. Eyes caught with interest as he started looking at the sketches.

"What are these?" Lincoln asked with curiosity.

"Oh, those are some old drawings I did back in college, nothing special." Dimartino held out her hand as Lincoln handed her the papers. The teacher went to catch her watch and realized how much time past. She guessed time flies when you achieve. "Well looks like your work is at an end, dear."

"It is?" Lincoln asked.

"Yep, so you are free to go, but I'll see you next Saturday," Dimartino said with a wink.

* * *

Upon arrival home that evening, Lincoln found his siblings doing their usual thing. As the boy ventured into the house, he still held his blank expression as he shown zero emotion. With a deep inhale, he knew what he had to do.

"Hey Lincoln, sorry you missed out on the trip to DairyLand, so we got you this." Luna presented a cow doll and souvenir cup.

"Thanks, please put it in my room for now," Lincoln told.

"Sure thing."

When made his to his parents' bedroom. He swallowed his spit. He knocked on the door, and immediately they answered. Still facing off with sad but the blank expression, he was first to talk.

"Mom, dad, I need to talk to you, do have a minute?"

"Of course sweetie, come in," Rita answered, leading Lincoln inside.

As Lincoln took his seat on his seat on his parent's bed, Rita and Lynn Sr. Stared at the middle-child with worry. They waited for his truthful confession.

"Mom dad, lately, I've been feeling like…" Lincoln paused for a minute as his mouth went dry. "I have been feeling like left out lately." Lincoln held his head down in shame.

While the conversation started, Luna was in the bathroom. When she heard the parents talking from the vents, the rocker decided to listen in. Plaguing their curiosity, the other girls joined in the snooping. Together they listen in as they intended to get to the bottom of Lincoln's attitude.

"Where on Earth would you ever get a thought like that son!" Lynn Sr inquired.

"With all the things my sister's had accomplished, I guess I've been feeling left out. They have so many unique traits to be recognized by you and others, and yet I got nothing." Lincoln continued to soak in depression. "Just a boy, always cheering and always sitting on the sidelines, while they get praised and worship like some kind of goddess."

Rita grew concern, "Oh honey, if you were ever feeling that way, why did not you ever tell us before?"

"I don't know, I guess I didn't want to make it look like I was making an excuse, or fear you would just say 'family supports one another, no excuses' or make it look like I was lying again about the luck Fiasco." Lincoln grasped the strands of his hair. Lincoln's eyes still faced the ground. "So for the longest time, I swallowed my sorrow attending their activities. I am sorry Mom and Dad, I tried my best to be supportive as I always was in the past, but I cannot anymore. I can't do it without it constantly reminded me what they have and what I don't."

"So that is why you've been acting this way lately Lincoln because you feel inferior to your sisters?"

Lincoln nodded as tears rolled down his face, yet it was not the tears of crying. Now Rita knew his depression was worse than she thought.

"Son, just because your sisters have something special does not mean we love you any less, we love all of our kids equally." Lynn wrapped his hand around Lincoln's shoulder.

"We love you no matter what Lincoln, and if it ever made it feel like you had to earn our love, then we're sorry." Rita had spoken feeling remorse for her little man.

"I just don't know what to do," Lincoln said as the depression was still showed in his tone.

"We'll help get through this."

Little did the parents know that the conversation grabbed the attention of the siblings? All of the sisters remained in the bathroom listening to every word Lincoln had said. From everything they heard, even their hearts started to feel sorrow for the brother's situation. Another side of them felt guilty for always dragging Lincoln to the activities without considering how he felt.

After his talk with his parents, everything was cleared up. It had helped ease his tension, but not clear his depression. By himself, Lincoln sat in the dark of his room. Many thoughts clouded his mind on the situation. As he looked at his bandaged, he thought about how worse the situation has caused him.

A thought came to mind on his Homeless self as he stared at the mirror again. However, this time it was a different image. He watch as his future self-lied down on the cold streets, all alone. The image alone was enough to make the middle-child shake. The image ended as Lincoln's door flung open, once again by his sisters.

He watched as each of them held worried expressions on their faces.

"Whoa dude, you okay bro?" Luna was first to ask.

"Yeah, you look like heck. You look like ten times more depressing versions of Lucy." Lynn added.

Lucy injected, "Hey, I'm not that moody."

"When I sensed your vital patterns spiking, there was a cause for concern, thanks to the monitor I installed in your room." Lisa added, looking at her device.

"When did you...?" Lincoln paused. "You know what, it doesn't matter."

"Lincoln, we overheard your conversation with Mom and Dad." Luan discloses to the boy.

"Look I'm fine, for the most part…" Lincoln spoke in denial, but the sisters saw the obvious lie on his face. "No, everything is not well. I am actually glad you are all here. I have something to say." Lincoln conceded, holding the girl's attention.

Lincoln stammered for a bit, "Look, I owe you all an apology for the way I acted. I was drowning in pride, envy, and of course jealousy. Sure it does not justify my recent behavior, but I do hope it explains it."

"What were you jealous off, the trophies?" Lola inquired. "I mean you have your own."

Lincoln shook his head. "No, it's not the trophies; it's the fact that you girls have special talents to really define you, while I do not have any talent, at least nothing to be fully recognized by my mom and dad. It makes feel like I'm a burden." Lincoln laid his head on the wall, looking at the ceiling. "Those abilities of yours are going to get you so far in the future, while my fate is at a broken down street corner."

The rant and face of defeat were enough to pull at the Loud Sisters heartstrings. They felt like bigger fools for not recognizing the problem a lot sooner. Lori was the first to get close and wrap her arm around Lincoln shoulder. The other sisters followed after that.

"At ease elder brother, the average homeless rate is about 80% to none as far as Royal Woods is concerned but that depends if they ever reach or lose their job goals for…"

Lori cut Lisa off from finishing her sentence. "Not helping Lisa. Lincoln, none of us have ever viewed you that way, not ever."

"Yeah bro, you got some good qualities in you." Luna tried to encourage Lincoln.

"Yeah but," Lincoln continued to bow his head in shame.

"It's okay Lincoln, we understand," Luan spoke, trying to put on her best smile.

"Here, why don't we stay with you for the night?" Lori offered as she comforts Lincoln.

The other Loud sisters followed the eldest. Together, the sisters stood close to their suffering brother. As they held him that night, Lincoln felt at ease. Most of Lincoln's tension of negativity was starting to deteriorate. Not one single thought of Lincoln's future self-clouded his mind as his sister's comforted him, and that was enough to rest peacefully during the night.


	11. Dealing with Depression

It was an early evening as the mother of the Loud family arrived at school. She sat down quietly as she pondered her son's situation. Rita could not believe let alone did not want to believe that her son was going through depression. Usually, Lincoln was always the happy and bright one, yet happiness was not present on him. Rita felt confused and blind for not seeing it before it got out of hand.

Being moody, getting angry with his sister's, and not having much interaction with his usual activities were all clear signs of the everyday depression. Like her daughter's, she believed it was nothing more but phase, but it turned out to be deeper than that. She knew depression was not obvious to see the first time, nevertheless, she felt stupid herself for not seeing it. How could she even call herself a parent? Still, it was the least on her mind right now as she looked at Lincoln's classroom.

Rita train of thought was disturbed as a weeping mother came out of the classroom. Guess this was what to be expected from Parent Teacher Conference. Last ones she been to were Leni, Luna and Lynn never would she imagine Lincoln would require one.

"Mrs. Loud, you can come in now." Ms. Johnson instructed.

As both adults took their seats, Ms. Johnson straightens her papers.

"Thank you for coming Mrs. Loud." Agnes started. "I believe you know why I requested you here."

"Yeah, I read the note that Lincoln did not show me."

Ms. Johnson pulled out a paper. It contained Lincoln's grades. Nearly every subject had anything but an A's or B's, something Rita was used to.

"Lincoln has always been a model student, so you'll understand when I say that his grades being like this is most concerning." Ms. Johnson explained to Rita. "He's been rushing through his work without second thoughts and even been sleeping in class."

"That does not seem like Lincoln. Sure he's been distracted before but not like this."

"Could it be from all of the in-home distractions?"

Rita shook her head to the side. "No, it's nothing of the sort." Rita looked down for a bit. "It's hard to explain, but my son has been going through clinical depression."

"Oh my, well that would explain his lack of focus lately. I've similar cases of this symptom, a talk quite a rough patch."

"Yeah, it's been impacted him a lot lately."

"I see, well we do recommend counseling for that kind of thing. I was glad he was able to pass his final exam. Nevertheless, it does not count on all the failures he's had on his past papers."

"I see, well what he is now, what do you purpose?"

"There is an option, I highly suggest summer school for Lincoln as a way as getting him back on track. If he does not pass summer school, then I'm afraid I'm not going to have a choice but to hold him back a grade."

"Say no more Ms. Johnson; I will see to it that he takes summer school."

"Great, but what are you going to do about his personal problem?" Ms. Johnson inquired.

Rita rose from her seat, "Right now, we are considering our options, but Lincoln did address the problem to us, so we will try and help him get through it."

"We I do hope your son gets better back to his bright self."

"Thank you."

* * *

It was a deep problem indeed. Different thoughts went through Rita's mind on how to combat the situation. One option came to mind about taking Lincoln to a mental hospital, but Lincoln was clearly not insane at least not yet. Another thought considered was watching him twenty-four seven, yet that would be creepy and would probably make the problem worse.

"Hi girls, how was school?" Rita greeted Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lucy.

"It was fine until Lisa blew up the restroom with her stupid experiments." Lana ranted.

"You call it stupid experiments; I go in unclogging the smart effective way." Lisa retorted.

"Where is Lincoln?" Lucy asked, noticing Lincoln was not in school.

"Resting at home, his father is with him right now," Rita replied.

"Mommy, is it our fault Lincoln is the way he is now?" Lola inquired sounding ashamed.

"No sweetie, your brother is just in a really dark place right now, and not the pleasant kind," Rita said. "At any rate, whatever your brother is going through, it's our job to help and support him as his family, so try not to bother him too much with your shenanigans, okay."

"Okay," All the girls replied and nodded altogether.

"But if he ever attempts anything…drastic" Rita froze for a second. "Do not hesitate to let me and your father know, got that?"

The girls nodded again in reply.

Quietly in the Loud House Lincoln sat in his room. With his head on the pillow and eyes on the ceiling, Lincoln's mind continued to wander. Since Lincoln was grounded he could not do his normal activities such as comics and video games, not that he wanted to anyway. He kept himself occupied by bouncing a tennis ball on the wall. Even after confessing, it did not make him feel a lot better. Lincoln future self still roamed in his head. This was Lynn's usual habit, guess it caught on to him.

While sitting by himself quietly, Lynn Sr. did recent checks of his son behavior. Not one smirk was visible upon his chipped tooth face. Even the father can see that Lincoln was definitely not his usual self. Like Rita, he felt blind and dumb for not seeing the problem before. By the look of Lincoln's face of misery, it is as if life had no meaning for the middle-child anymore. Lynn Sr wished he could help with the situation.

"Hey honey, how's Lincoln doing so far?" Rita greeted as she and the older girls came through the front door.

"He's been quiet for the past eight hours. I'm really worried about him."

"Me too honey, let me go see him."

Knocks came at Lincoln's door as he instructed the mother to come in. "Hey Lincoln, how are you doing?"

Lincoln did not face his mother. "Fine, I guess," He replied solemn tone. By his tone, Rita could tell Lincoln was anything but fine

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're talking to your sisters. Lincoln, here you go." Rita handled her son some pills.

"What are these?"

"They are Antidepressants, they should help you. Take no more than two a day if you are ever feeling out of it. There also may be some side effects."

"Lincoln," Rita called out to her son. Lincoln turned to face his mother. "I had a talk with your homeroom teacher, and from your progress of grades, you are going to be taking summer school in order to catch up. I'm sorry Lincoln but it looks like you are going to be busy for the summer."

Lincoln groaned inside, but at the very same he was not disappointed.

"You know if you're having problems, you can talk to me and your father about it or even your sisters. We are here for you if you ever need anything." Rita promised as she touched his shoulder.

"Okay, Mom."

* * *

Lincoln slowly shut his eyes. It was another day that took place in the darkened streets. Days being separated by his colleagues, the homeless middle-child was on his own again. That night he wandered through the bright downtown with his head still in the clouds and hands in his pockets. As he walked, Lincoln glanced at all the available nightclubs, bars, stores and late night motels open that night.

While on his stroll to wherever, Lincoln saw people making their cheers at a bar, guess people really enjoyed the nightlife. He only wished he could share their happiness. It has been years since he felt happy. If only he could embrace it once more even for a short moment. Yet things were still not looking up for his homeless situation.

"What's up white-snow?" A woman called out to Lincoln. He saw the women wearing a short skirt and spaghetti strap top, revealing her middle half. By her clothing, Lincoln already had a clue who she was. "You looking for a good action flick tonight to turn that frown upside down?"

"No thanks, I don't have any money." Lincoln instantly declined as he lied to the woman.

"We can work out another deal, how about that fancy watch of yours." The woman tried another method.

"Sorry, but no," Lincoln walked away from the woman.

"Talk about your cold shoulder," The woman muttered as she saw Lincoln leave the area.

On his travels, he could only wonder how his allies were doing. They were in a nice shelter, while he was still out in the cold streets. As he remembered the time he gave his position to the homeless family, he started to have second thoughts. Times like this, he cursed his good nature is both a blessing and a curse.

Lincoln's destination took him to a Gas Station. It was after hours as barely any customers were present. Looking at the icebox, Lincoln debated the drink to last him through the night. Hopefully, something that will keep him energized through the hours or at least him for days. Unfortunately, with his limited funds that were asking for the impossible.

He picked out a large protein drink. As he set his funds on the store counter, the manager took a second glance at Lincoln. "You're short mon," The Jamaican store manager reminded the homeless person.

Lincoln did not notice until now. With how much his money dwindled due to food and medicine. "Guess it can't be helped, sorry." Lincoln was about to take his money back.

"Don't worry about it mon," The manager used money from the tip jar. "We all have to get by somehow."

"Thank you, where's the restroom?" Lincoln asked.

The manager pointed the other direction as Lincoln went to use it. Soon enough, another person came inside the store. Simulator to Lincoln, he had a beanie and jacket. The first thing the stranger got was a big bottle of liquor. As he approached the counter, he drew a firearm.

"Empty out your register pal!" The stranger demanded to the manager.

"Please sir; there is no need for this." The dreaded manager begged.

"I said shut up and empty out the freaking register!" The robber demanded with a handgun.

"Alright mon, I will!" He complied fearfully opening up the register after pressing the silent alarm.

Just before Lincoln could come out, he witnessed the robbery. Naturally, Lincoln's first instincts would have been to call the cops, but he did not have his cell phone anymore. Lincoln tried to sneak out silently, his attempts failed as he tripped on a mop. The very sound alerted the robber.

"What the heck is that, whose here?" The robber questioned.

"There is no one else here mon, I swear!" The owner lied to his teeth, trying to ensure Lincoln's escape.

The robber grinned maliciously. "Your right, there is no one here, at least, not anymore."

Without hesitation, the robber shot the Store Owner as the homeless middle-child witness the horrible tragedy. At this rate, he was sure glad that it was not him bleeding on the floor. Fear took over his whole body as he called 911. Before he could make his way out the door, he crashed into the robber.

"Watch where you're freaking going, you powder stain moron!" The robber insulted slugging Lincoln. It was a brief second as Lincoln managed to grab a sight of the robber's claw tattoo. "You lucky I did not shot you instead!" He shouted as he ran away.

Both Lincoln and the robber ran in opposite directions trying to escape the situation. Personally, Lincoln did not know why he was runny as his fear and panic took over. If anything, he did not want to get caught. He ran through the night streets, cutting through ways of traffic and civilians. Sweet drenched and heart pounded as he kept stomping his feet to the ground. Lincoln barely even forgot about his sickness.

While cutting through an alley, he heard sirens and more than one. Right in front of Lincoln appeared a few police cars. Lincoln was literally surrounded as the lights flashed in his face. Not only the lights but also guns were now aimed at Lincoln.

"Come out with your hands up scumbag!" A police officer ordered the homeless man with a gun.

Lincoln held his hands up. "Please you don't understand, I'm not the…" Lincoln tried to explain.

"Get on the ground and put your hands behind your hand!" The police officer repeat, interrupting Lincoln.

"I telling you, I'm not the…" Lincoln tried to explain again.

"I said get on the ground now! Get on the ground or we will open fire!" The officer threatened Lincoln as more than one gun aimed at the middle-child.

The snow-haired child was clearly unarmed. Lincoln had no choice as the guns were a clear indication of the police having no intention to listen. Lincoln life was on the line. He complied with the officer demand, getting on his knees and hands behind his head.

This was a very miserable day for the homeless middle-child as he was booked. He was handcuffed and taken in. As if life being homeless was bad enough for Lincoln. It upset him further that he did not do anything wrong, yet he was treated like a common criminal. Now Lincoln started to know how the other race felt in these intense situations.

No matter how much Lincoln tried to explain, "they got the wrong guy" he was still locked up. He was not even offered a one phone call, not that he wanted to call anyone on his situation right now. Minutes turned into hours as Lincoln was holding prisoners at the Police Department. To Lincoln time felt it had stopped with every passing minute.

Lincoln never thought he would be here again since those unpaid parking tickets years back. Through the jail cell, Lincoln found himself fighting the stress and boredom within his body. These moments led Lincoln pacing back and forth, sleeping for a couple minutes, peeking through the steel bars, fidgeting with his fingers, and sitting down for goodness knows how long as it really been. With all this stuff going on in Lincoln's head, he literally wanted to die at this point. At least Heaven would be a better place than this.

As he lied on the floor, Lincoln heard the door open. One of the officers made the rounds to the cells. After the fifth one, he stopped Lincoln's cell.

"What do you think you're doing you weirdo?" Lori's voice was heard as the person in front of him approached Lincoln. It turned out to be a female officer. "Lincoln Loud!" The officer tapped on the bars loudly, getting Lincoln's attention.

Lincoln rose up with a look of catatonic. Just the look on his face was enough to spell sorrow for anyone. Even the police officer held a Stern face, if not creeped out with the way Lincoln was.

"You're free to go; the owner just woke up and told us everything that happened." The officer opened up Lincoln's cell.

Lincoln took a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Four is, come on I know you must be dying to get out here." The officer said. "On behalf of the officers that took you in, you have our sincere apologies."

As Lincoln followed the officer, he saw the list of prisoners. Left and right, each of them range from different crimes. From the heavy scowls and miserable expressions, it was clear that their futures were destroyed long ago. Still, he could not worry about them now. He was just relieved that he was getting released.

After signing the release papers, Lincoln was on his way out. On his way out of the front door, he suddenly tripped. He took a glance at the right direction as a woman by him.

"Sorry about that," He said to the woman.

"No worries dude," The woman replied in black pants and velvet spaghetti strap shirt and boots. She also had hair on the top while the sides were shaved off.

After a second glance at the woman, Lincoln suddenly recognize the features. It could not be as he thought. The woman got the same and even her eyes were widened by the familiar presence.

"Lincoln."

"Luna."

Both people called out as they stared at awkward silence.


	12. Depts of depression

Already it was awkward between the two Loud Siblings. To be sure he was not seeing things, Lincoln rubbed his eyes twice. Both of them looked with a shock expression as their mouths went dry. They struggled with exact words as neither of them as seen or talked to each other in years. Lincoln rubbed the back of his head in a nervous sweat. Never would they ever imagine seeing each other at the police station.

Looking at his rock star sister situation, it would seem clear that Luna was not here willingly. The handcuff on her wrist was a clear indication of that situation. Seconds turned into minutes as they kept their eyes on each other. Neither did know where to start on this unexpected encounter. Lincoln rubbed his right arm and bit his upper lip feeling ashamed of his current standing.

Luna felt the same, as she could not take her eyes off Lincoln. From the look of Lincoln's dirty clothes, she knew that Lincoln was having a rough life. Luna blushed inside of her brother seeing her in this situation.

Lincoln broke the silence and asked, "Hey Luna, so what are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same question," Luna replied also at a loss for words. "I haven't seen you in years."

"It's a long difficult and sad story," Lincoln muttered sadly.

Luna was already intrigued if not conflicted with emotions. "I'd hug you as hard as I could, but given my circumstances..." Luna said, seeing the cuffs on her hands.

Lincoln rubbed his right arm and stared down at the ground. There was no need of hiding his shame much longer since he was face to face with his sister after all these years. Lincoln sat down next to his third oldest sister.

"So what brings you here bro?" Luna asked.

"Oh, just a simple misunderstanding that turned out to be a really big misunderstanding. What about you, unpaid parking tickets?" Lincoln guessed seeing the handcuffs.

"Nah bro, I got arrested for possession," Luna answered. "The guy I met was a real jerk that got what he deserved for slipping that stuff on me. I think I may have busted his nose."

"A bar fight huh, that's neat."

"You look awful bro." Luna stating as she could take her eyes off Lincoln ragged appearance. "You look like you haven't eaten, slept, or even bathed for days. What happened?"

As Luna could see, she was not far from the truth. This only made Lincoln feel more ashamed about his standing. He was just glad his closest sister and not his parents were here.

Lincoln's mouth went dry as he hesitated to answer. He gave her the short version of the story.

"I've been homeless Luna."

"You were Homeless!" Luna questioned, nearly echoing the police station. "I don't understand bro; I thought you were living on a college campus when you moved out. Moreover, if you were in this rough patch this whole time, why did you not tell any of us? We would have tried to help you." This left the rocker beyond a simple shocked expression. Dumbfounded was more like it. Now Luna was at another crossroads of emotions.

"I don't know," Lincoln said, not having many words to say. "I…"

Lincoln tried to call out to Luna, but she stopped him with a hand. Luna grasped her skull in frustration. "I'm sorry bro; I just need time to process this. Right now, bro, I don't know if I should hug you or smack the heck out of you."

Lincoln figures this was expected after this shocking encounter. For the most part, Lincoln really could not blame his sister for being like this at the moment. Heaven knows that Rita had felt the same way in stressful situations.

Before Luna could respond, an officer cleared her throat getting both Loud Siblings attention. "Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but I'm pleased to announce that your Roadie came through with your bail." The officer unlocked Luna's handcuffs.

"Thanks, was there anything else?" Luna inquired, to expecting something.

"Yeah, Mr. Chunk wanted me to inform that you're on your own from here. So this is the last time he will help you out like this." The officer reminded Luna.

"Why don't we go back to my place?" Luna got off the chair.

It was a silent ride as both of them was still grasping the situation. Neither of them has seen or talked to each other for years. In addition, police station was practically the last place they would ever see each other. Still, Lincoln and Luna being embarrassed on their mistakes were the least of their worries. Now that they reunited again, Luna and Lincoln did not know where to begin.

Making their way to the hotel entrance, Luna went to the top floor. "Excuse the mess, just had a party."

Lincoln could tell by the trash on the floor, consisting of burger wrappers and drinking cans. Lincoln took his seat on the single bed as his third oldest sister made her way to the fridge. Within the mini fridge, she pulled out the adult drink. It was a large shot of Tequila. With two cups and a couple of ice cubes, she presented the drink to Lincoln.

"Too old if not awkward reunion." Luna raises her glass. Lincoln made his cheers.

He tasted a sip of an alcoholic beverage. As expected, it still had that weird taste that adults used to, just like coffee. Seeing that his older sister was fully-grown, she was used to the taste of alcohol, yet it was not without its tingles. Lincoln, on the other hand, was not a major fan as it tickled his tongue.

One cup became many as Lincoln and Luna of sat closely together as savoring their drink. Throughout the drinking sessions, Lincoln tried to think of something to start the conversation. He was not planning on sitting in silence. Words became my mixed up in his head as the alcohol was starting to take over.

Soon enough both Loud Siblings found themselves collapsed on the floor. Bodies felt like lead weights. Lincoln and Luna started spouting out random words. Worlds were fuzzy as the Loud Siblings was heavily hammered.

"Man, it's been over twenty years." Lincoln moaned drunkenly. "No wonder why you look so old."

"Nah I think it was fifty," Luna replied drunk. "I think you might be getting older than me." Luna ruffled Lincoln's white hair. "You almost look like Pop-Pop." Luna hiccup.

"Yeah compared to all of you, I'm always the freaking black sheep, or in this case the white sheep, haha, get it?" Lincoln crack drunk. While laughing, he started coughing. "Why wasn't I born a brunette or even a blonde? Heck, I'd even settle for being a black hair from...the creepy one."

"Life is a dream, a crazy rock and roll dream…" Luna sang weaken. Since there is still alcohol on her system, the voice would not come out. Luna picked herself off the floor. "Playing to an exotic crowd as I hear them screaming Luna Loud…"

"Where is that music coming from?"

"I don't know, maybe the voices inside my head. I don't remember." Luna stood on top of the bed. "Stage dive!" Luna leaped off the bed and fell onto her brother.

Both of them were face to face, in each other's breathing room. Lincoln rolled his sister off him. That was one of the many traits that have not changed of his third oldest sister. Lincoln grasped the large Tequila bottle. Lincoln and Luna stare that the dark ceiling inhaling. Soon after, eyes closed as they have passed out.

The Loud rockstar awoke from slumber to find out she was laying on the floor. Yet Luna's resting was not without after-effects of the strong beverage. She felt her head pounding like a drum. Luna had lost count of how many headaches she had. As she heard the door open, it was a relief to know that it was not a dream. Lincoln came in with water and some pills.

"This should help reduce the hangover." Lincoln offered.

"Thanks, bro, but what about you?" She consumes the pills and drinks.

"I sobered up two hours ago. It seems like you had more shots than I did." Lincoln took a seat next to his sister. "It sure brings back old times when we were together, a time where we were truly a family, practically inseparable."

"Yeah bro, back then we were inseparable." Luna started to reflect. "It's just such a shame that time was not at our side."

Lincoln noticed the photo of Luna and her adult friends. "Bet you must have been having a good life starting your own rock band, congrats, where are your friends?"

"They are doing their own thing, so it's just me, myself, and I," Luna said, uncertain on the topic. "Yeah, we are popular but if not popular enough to play out at sold out concerts. We are getting somewhere and that's all that matters." Luna explained to Lincoln. "But in all honest bro, my life has not been all smiles as you may think."

"You're still passionate about Rock-n-Roll. It brings me back to the time; you made my first concert something to remember, getting us on the front stage." Lincoln remembers. "Your Luna Loud, you're all about music."

Luna shook her head. "You think my life has been exciting bro? One band manager has tricked me after another, cheating us out of our profits. I made a lot of reckless decisions that landed me in the slammer more than once." Luna held her head down. "It also got me kicked out of the band and made me lose Sam. Though to be fair I did not technically lose her."

"Sam, you blond friend with the blue streak in her hair?" He inquired.

"Yep, turns out she did not like me that way and I was just in the way of her true love life."

"I'm sorry your relationship didn't work out with Sam."

"Its cool little bro. If there is one lesson that I did learn since I was a kid; you cannot always have what you want. Life can be pretty harsh sometime." Luna folded her legs. "For years I carried my share of guilt, heartbreak and loneliness being a solo act."

"You were good without your band."

"I'm not talking about my band bro. I'm talking about you." She said fiddling with her black fingernails.

Lincoln's eyes widened.

"You were always the person to inspire me and my rockin passion. I always enjoyed the days of us jamming together even if you weren't good most of the time." Luna eyes stared at the carpet.

Now Lincoln felt even guiltier than before. All the memories of the jam sessions with his sister were something he could never forget, but he did. The guilt ate away at him like a vicious parasite.

"Being a solo act may have gotten me by, but it was not the same without my band or even you since my own siblings were busy doing their thing." Luna continued to explain.

"I did not know it turned out this way." Lincoln sadly responded.

Luna glanced at Lincoln's direction. "Life has not been the same without you bro. Not to mention, I have to un-disappoint my son and…"

A record player scratched in Lincoln's head as he quickly cut off his sister. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on." Now Lincoln was confused if not surprised. "You..have a son?"

"Yeah bro, you didn't think Lori was the only one giving Mom and Dad grandchildren, did you?"

"How did this happen?"

"Years of burying myself in a pool of sorrow and constant isolation." Luna signed heavily. "It was a rock concert I went to eight years ago as I was still getting over my heartbreak with Sam. Drinking and concerts became my escape. I met a guy, even though I knew he was already spoken for on by the ring on his finger, but I didn't care as long as if help me get over Sam. And it did before I knew it, I was pregnant and he was born."

"What's your son's name?" Lincoln inquired.

"Mickey Swagger Loud."

"Is he around now?"

Luna shook her head again. "Nah, he was not exactly the committed type if you know what I mean. But it was not all bad, I get a support check from him every month, much to his wife's disapproval."

Guess Lincoln did not need to guess where did the name come from. Luna shows him a photo of her child. From his youthfulness, he looked around eight years old and had his mother's eyes and brown hair. He was adorable all right. Lincoln ought to count Luna fortunate that he was not here to see his mother now.

Luna smile for a bit, then the smile disappeared. Not that she did not mind catching up, but there was more on the mind than old memories. Getting elephant out of the room, Luna decided to ask away. "So is this what you been up? "Why didn't you ever call?" Luna inquired to Lincoln.

"Well...I did not have a phone anymore. It became inactive when I could no longer pay my phone bill."

Luna interrupted Lincoln. "You moved out at eighteen to live on the college campus, but then years later I found out you weren't there anymore. Even with Lisa's tech, we could not find you. When we did not hear from you all these years, we started to assume the worst. We even checked unidentified corpses."

Lincoln held his head down in sadness. "I guess I just felt I had to do everything on my own that I eventually lost sight of something important, living in you guys shadow and all. Aside from my graduation, I wanted to do something worth accomplishing like you guys." Lincoln clenched his fingers. "I spent the rest of my life chasing something impossible. Now here I am, just a worthless deadbeat."

Luna gritted her teeth as she tightens her fist. She stood in front of her brother and gave him a hard slap on his face. "You could have told us, bro, you could have said something, let us figure it out!" Luna's boomed clenching her head again. "God! It's like I literally don't know you anymore! Now here you are, married to the street life. Everyone worried and feared the worst of you, not knowing if you were hurt or even freaking alive!" Luna scolded Lincoln.

"Luna I…" Lincoln tried to explain, feeling the slap on his cheek.

"Do you really can't stand your family that much that you have resulted in this?" Luna continued to shout at Lincoln.

"Hey last time I checked, you're not exactly an Angel either!" Lincoln shot back. "I hear a lot of complaints about your music, but I guess you're too tone deaf to hear!"

"At least I do something creative, coming from the guy who loves to read comics in his underwear. Have some freaking decently!" Luna argued.

"It's no wonder why Sam left you; you always had poor listening skills, always thinking about your ego."

Lincoln cross the line as Luna grabbed him by the shirt. He was faced off with a very angry face. Lincoln broke away and pushed Luna, yet she was not done. She ran up for the tackle. As Luna had him face to face, she started whacking away. Like a boxer, Lincoln guarded his face, trying to preventing any attack's from reaching. While trying to reach for her neck, Luna headbutts him.

Lincoln then countered by rolling the rocker off him, causing to crash into the nightstand. Lincoln grabbed Luna by the shoulders and start slamming her head to the carpet floor. Before he could strike back, Lincoln caught sight of Luna's face of sadness. Tears rolled down Luna's eyes like a waterfall.

"Why bro?" Luna began to sob. "Why did you not bother to call me of any of us? I was not the only one thinking about your well being you know." Luna's tears rolled down her face as the make on her eyes begin to show.

When a knock came at the front door, Lincoln got off his sister. Luna went to answer it. It was the manager. "Hey is everything all right in there, I got a noise complaint from the neighbors? He said tell that heavy metal idiot to shut up in there. So I thought I'd check before thinking of calling the police."

"Yeah I'm fine, just was practicing some jams. Sorry for the noise." Luna replied.

"Look I don't mind you practicing your jams, but keep the noise to a minimum in consideration of the others staying here." The manager scolded Luna.

"Right sorry about that." Luna shut her door.

"You know this reminds me of the time we got a lot of noise complaints from Mr. Grouse," Lincoln remembered starting a new conversation.

"Yeah, always saying 'knock off that racket loud' or 'my yard, my property' or even 'turn down that loud music loud'. is what he would often shout." Luna said.

"But eventually he got used to it. That old man was the only neighbor to put up with us, can't say the same about the other neighbors." Lincoln replied.

"It wasn't always because of my music."

"Yeah, we were anything but a normal family, always fighting for the most minor, trivial and sometimes stupid reasons. We were a bunch of stupid kids back then." He replied with his eyes downcast.

"Yeh and here we are, stupider adults. Funny how times changed." Luna smile in irony. Eyes glanced at Lincoln for a couple minutes. Changing the subject and not holding anything back, Luna threw her arms around Lincoln's neck. She did not care if Lincoln smelled as bad as a skunk. "I really missed you baby bro." Luna tearfully confessed as she held him.

Within seconds, Lincoln embraced back as tears fell down his face. "I missed you too sis." Lincoln sniffled.

With everything the man with the plan been through, this was his greatest blessing. He held his sister by the waist side, as they had no intention to let go as savoring their long year reunion.

* * *

Back to present day, Rita did some late night research. Since Lincoln was depressed, her mind still debated man options around this symptom. It was not going to be easy. Depression was not something that can be cured by medicine or saying 'cheer up' many times. This sickness was something the middle-child had to work out for himself.

As she got to another internet page, there revealed about the scary sides of depression. One of the main sites was not thinking clearly through one's actions, leading to the most tragic of misfortunes. As Rita continued to read, the more it made her shake inside. She suddenly started to remember a time where she witnessed it first-hand. Just a very reminder made her shudder even more.

Making her way through the kitchen, she saw Lincoln. He held a very sharp knife as was about cut his meal. Aside from the bandaged hand, she noticed a cut on his forearm arm. Already this sent the mother to a panic as she rushed to Lincoln. She reacted immediately by grabbing the knife away from him.

"Lincoln, what did you do!" Rita shouted, making Lincoln flinch. "And how did you get this injury?"

"I was making myself a sandwich and I got a little careless, no big deal," Lincoln explained while trembling inside.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

"Okay for now on, there will be no more handling sharp tools for you including the butter knife, so either ask me, your father, or one of your sisters," Rita ordered, trying to calm down.

"Wait what, why?" Lincoln inquired in an attempt to question his mother.

"End of discussion Lincoln!" Rita countered back.

As he watched his mother walk away, this left Lincoln at a confused if not shocked state.

The bell chimed as it was time for everyone to leave. Lincoln glance at the looks of excitement these kids held rushing out of the classroom. Summer break was in session, too bad Lincoln could not share their happiness. Even if Lincoln knew he was not the only kid in school to take summer school, he knew he had some making up to do. As packed his bag, he walked out of the classroom.

"Oh Lincoln," Mrs. Johnson called to him.

Lincoln walked back. "So I suppose you heard the news."

"Yes, the fact that I'm going to be taking Summer school, yeah I know," Lincoln said in an emotionless tone.

"I'm sorry Lincoln, I'm sure you would rather be enjoying summer fun, but it is your only choice if you don't want to be held back a year."

"I'm just going through some things."

"Yes your mom told me, I just hope it doesn't affect your progress then it already has. Lots of people would be very unhappy if you are held back, myself included. You have always been an ideal student with a lot of spunk and dedication, but your behavior has been unlike you. Still, while working this out I want you to think about your current standing, understand."

Lincoln nodded in reply.

"Have a good summer break Lincoln."

"That's rough man, you got summer school," Clyde said after hearing the whole thing as the two boys walked home from school.

"Yeah Clyde, unfortunately, I have much-failed work to catch up on. So we won't be able to hang out often. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, my dad's and I are going out of town for a few days," Clyde said.

"Not just that Clyde, but I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you. I took my anger out on you and you did not deserve it."

Clyde tapped Lincoln's shoulder. "Lincoln, its okay I get it." Changing the subject, Clyde decided to ask. "So how are you holding up ever since your confession?"

"I'm fine I guess," Lincoln still had uncertainty in his voice. Clyde could easily read the reaction that it was a working progress.

"You know Lincoln; the best way to deal with this depression is therapy. If you want I can put a good word on you for Dr. Lopez."

"Thanks, Clyde, I appreciate that."

"It will be alright Lincoln, trust me, pal."

* * *

When the weekend arrived, it was time for Lincoln's probation at Mrs. Dimartino. When he was on his way out the door, he stopped for a second. He got the capsule pulled out a couple of pills. After a breath, he took him with a cup of water. Lincoln was all set to go as he heads out the door to prepare for whatever the day has for him

"Lincoln! Are you going back to Mrs. Dimartino?" Lori called out.

"Yeah, I am." He answered.

"Come on, I'll drive you." Lori insisted.

"It's alright Lori, I know the way there."

"Come on Lincoln, I'm on my way out anyway."

Already this struck the boy as strange. Usually, the eldest sister would not offer rides unless a favor was done. Lincoln took a glance at the eldest. "No strings attached?" He asked her with suspicion.

Lori shook her head. "Nope."

Once again, Lincoln sat looking out the window. While Lori was driving, Lori could not take her eyes off Lincoln, but at the same time focused on the road. As the eldest can tell, much was on the middle child's thoughts and curing his depression was still long ways away. As told by their mother, they were going to have to be patient.

"Lincoln…" Lori called, getting his attention. "Do you think you're the first loud to have fears on the future?" Lori started the conversation.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"You think I'm not nervous of growing up and going into the real world. I am literally going to be an adult soon. You think I do not know how scary that is. Soon I'm going to be going to college where all the great opportunities happen and I intend to explore them all the way." Lori talked to Lincoln. Lincoln glanced at Lori. "Look I don't know what the future holds for Bobby and me, though honestly, I do see him as a business owner, yet I am willing to push on to find out."

Lincoln still held his head down.

Soon as they made it to the house, Lincoln was already on his way out. Lori grabbed Lincoln by the arm. "Lincoln even if it takes all my efforts, I will never ever let you end in such a harsh predicament," Lori promised. "I'm sure it will come to you, try not to let it get to you, okay," Lori said with a cheerful grin.

"Okay," Lincoln replied with a fake smile, that even Lori could tell that it was not genuine. Not one inch of optimism showed on his face.

As Lincoln made it to the door, Mrs. Dimartino led him in with a list of chores. The boy was Lincoln in for a long day as Lori thought. Still concerned for her brother, Lori could not take her eyes off Lincoln, wondering how far his depression will go. Interrupting her thoughts, she got a text from Bobby. It was already time as Lori drove off.

* * *

Making it to the destination, Lori sat quietly as thoughts of her brother still clouded her mind. For all the years, she has looked after her siblings like a second mother; she never thought one of them would have an emotional problem like this, especially not Lincoln. Repeatedly, Lincoln had proven to be more level-headed than any of the siblings.

"Hey there Babe," Bobby greeted his loving girlfriend with a peck on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late; my shift ran late than expected."

"It's alright Boo-boo-bear, I'm used to it," Lori replied with mid-happiness.

Bobby sensed the tone in Lori, indicating something not good. "Whoa babe, what happens, you're usually not this mopey like Lucy?"

"Sorry Bobby, it's just Lincoln, he's been feeling under the weather lately."

"Huh, is he sick?" Bobby asked, already concerned.

"No; it's not like that. He's been going through…" Lori paused for a moment. "He's been going through depression lately."

"What!"

"Yeah, Lincoln's depression stems from me and my sister's accomplishments, basically of what we have and what he doesn't," Lori told Bobby.

"Babe, I'm sure you and the others don't view him that way do you?"

"Off course not!" Lori beamed, slamming her fist on the table, therefore getting the attention of most of the customers. Seeing all the attention, Lori calmed down. "No; I never saw Lincoln as inferior, but these things never bothered him before, so why now?"

"I think I have an idea." Bobby speculated, getting Lori's eyes. "With all the success of your sisters, it makes him look like he hasn't achieved much. You and your sisters have so much that might get far in life and yet with what Lincoln has, he fears he might get left behind."

"I guess that makes sense."

Lori continued to listen to Bobby. "I'm familiar with the effect; my dad had it before his passing. He would not eat, would not interact with his family or would not get out of the house. He felt like all hope was lost for him. Soon mom had reached her limit in taking care of him, made her very stressed. After he was gone, she took it upon herself taking care of me and Ronnie Anne, while I aided her as well. It was hard at first, but she was able to maintain."

"Even if he says he's fine, I'm really worried about Lincoln." Lori cried as tears started to roll down her eyes.

Bobby covered Lori's hands. "Babe listen to me, I know it won't be easy but he will make it through this. Lincoln is a strong kid. If you want, maybe I can take him out again on our bro time to try lifting his spirits. I'll try and help as best as I could babe."

"Thanks, Bobby; I hope so. Lincoln is a strong guy after all." Lori smiled as she wiped her tears.

"We'll help him see this through babe, I promise." Bobby rubbed the back of head ensuring her that everything would be all right. As Lori still thought about Lincoln's situation, she could only hope that Bobby was right.


	13. Unpleasantness

The summer afternoon was now in session as sunrays were a clear indication of the season. From each movement of Lincoln's body created sweat in his face to his chest. Serving his probation, he spent the day pulling weeds from the backyard. Being that yard work was Lincoln's least favorite kind of chore, it only made his punishment even more exhausting to him. Heaven knows that he would often avoid yard work from his parents. At least he did not do the chore with his bare hands. Heaven knows that Lola hated helping Lincoln get the dirt from under his fingernails so many times.

While wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lincoln watched as his lovely substitute teacher sat down on her lawn chair. With shades and a magazine, she chilled catching the sunrays. So lucky, Ms. Dimartino must have felt right now not worrying about the summer heat. At least she did not have done the yard work, but that is what she had Lincoln. Now the more he thought about it, he was starting to regret this move, even if it involved working with his crush.

After pulling a weed, Lincoln felt a sting. Quickly he pulled his hand, discovering that one of the weeds had thrones. The throne on his finger was yet another downside to doing yard work. This day just gets better and better as he thought ironically. Still, at least the injury was not obvious enough to have his mom harp on him. Lincoln glanced at the injury on his knuckles and arm. Ms. Dimartino asked him about his new injury on his arm, but Lincoln responded by saying it was nothing. Concern may have plagued her mind, but the teacher did not press on the bandages.

After a few hours of bagging more dead weeds, Lincoln took wiped more sweat off his forehead. Judging from the wetness of his orange shirt, it was starting to reach the limit on how much he could endure the summer heat. On his way back to work, Dimartino called out.

Under the shade, she set him up with a towel, a cold drink and a plate full of food. The lovely substitute joined him at the table.

"Oh my, you've been working really hard." She commented, knowing that was not obvious.

"Don't worry; I'm used to it by now," Lincoln replied moodily, trying to cool down as much as possible.

Dimartino could not help but chuckle at Lincoln's determination and endurance. This made Lincoln frown on the outside as if she was making fun of him as if she was making him suffer on purpose.

"I'm so sorry Lincoln, it was a compliment." Ms. Dimartino eases up on the laughing. "I think your hard work ethic may get you somewhere in the future."

Lincoln held his frown as it was still not a subject he was comfortable. He turned his head the other direction from the teacher. Even if Lincoln about got off his chest on hid the problem, he felt constantly haunted by his nightmares of him being nothing. At least the visions of his homeless self starting to dim, if only it could stop his dreams.

"Mm, this salad is delicious Ms. Dimartino," Lincoln said enjoying the food presented to him.

"I appreciate the compliment, but flattery is not going to get you out of the extra work I have for you."

"Yeah, at this a very poor rate," Lincoln mumbled, hiding his grumpiness.

"Huh."

"I said great I can't wait." He instantly corrected himself.

"Also while Ms. Johnson is on vacation, I will be taking over Summer School, so you better put your game face on, or in your case your study face." Ms. Dimartino reminded Lincoln. "And do not think that I will be going easy on you just because you're working for me here."

"Of course not Ms. Dimartino."

Throughout the rest of the evening, as his work was finished, Lincoln decided to take a long walk. With his hand still in the clouds, he rattled the stick through the wooden fences out of boredom. As he walked through the neighborhood of lovely homes, he still wondered his career path. To be able to have a full-time job and a house was any person's dream. Did he have what it took to be successful? Could he really raise and provide for a family? Could he really carry the next generation? These were questions pouring through his mind.

Lincoln shook his head t get his mind together, perhaps he was just over thinking things.

* * *

"Good morning class, and welcome to an exciting day of Summer School." Ms. Dimartino greeted, as most of the students did not have a faced that spelled happiness. Lincoln shared their reaction as he held the same deadpan face. Dimartino glance at Lincoln's direction. "Let's all do our best everybody." The lovely teacher gave a giggle and a good luck wink.

Any time this would be seen as an act of affection that would leave him love-struck. However, the old Lincoln was currently not here. He had more than a couple of weeks of summer school, so he had to make due as he and few other students he did not know we are also in school. Lincoln's friends were fortunate right now to have the whole summer ahead of them, not that he cared.

Having heard Lincoln's grade progress, Ms. Dimartino was determined to get him back on track without doing him any favors. She remained strict but fair with her teaching methods. Luckily, Lincoln would not have any unnecessary distractions, not that he could afford it with his current grades. Since his depression was still in effect, Ms. Dimartino blinding beauty did not flush Lincoln.

Lincoln really had to buckle down as he was still on probation with Dimartino and at home. Depression may have not been obvious to most people, but it was clear as day to his friends and family. Nevertheless, no matter how much he dwelled on it, he could not worry about it. Not right now.

Like a normal student, Lincoln followed the lesson by lesson with as much focus as he could. The task of the day included taking notes, asking questions, doing assignments, and being on his the best behavior. As seen from his progression, he had much to make up for that the thought of summer fun was not present in his mind. For as long as summer school was for normal students, it seems like he had a long week ahead of him.

"Is this seat taken?" Ronnie Anne asked as she approached the lunch table.

"Whatever, it's a free country," Lincoln replied in a deadpan tone. By reading his tone, it was clear that Lincoln was not in a good mood, especially to see her.

"What are you doing here?" Lincoln asked Ronnie Anne.

Ronnie Anne took a seat next to Lincoln. "Unfortunately, I got summer school too. I failed my final history exam that was a big part of my grade. Not to mention, mom always kept saying there is no limit to furthering your knowledge. So I'm not here because I want to be either."

Whether it was because of bad grades or her karma for always picking on him, he did not care. She seemed perfectly harmless right now as he allowed her to take a seat next to him. Lincoln's priority did not change. Now that he thought about it, Lincoln immediately was having second thoughts about his bully being next to him. Lincoln scooted away from her. At any moment, he felt that she jumped at the chance to pull her pranks on him, such as tying his shoelaces or shoving food down his pants.

Judging from his sour and dark look, Lincoln was not in the mood for Ronnie Anne's pranks. He gets enough of his sister's pranks at home, so he did not want it at school either. Even if Lincoln did not say a thing, Ronnie Anne could tell that Lincoln was suspicious of her. Even if the cold shoulder was present, at least it was not a look of hatred. Ronnie took a breather as she decided to play it cool.

"So how was your week?" Ronnie started the conversation.

"It's been rough around the edges." Lincoln sourly answered.

Ronnie could not take her eyes off the bandage on his knuckles and his arm. "I can see that."

"You can relax Lincoln. Bobby told me about your going through. So I promise I won't pull any pranks on you as I normally do." Ronnie Anne declared. "Truce?" Ronnie Anne offered her hand. Lincoln still was not convinced as he averted his eyes away from his so-called bully. It is as if he was expressing hatred deep inside. "Okay, then how is this? If I ever pull any pranks on you while you're in this condition then you can punch me and I won't hold anything against you, deal."

Lincoln looked at Ronnie Anne. With a sincere face, Ronnie Anne was serious.

"Alright I suppose," Lincoln accepted her gesture.

* * *

While at home, Rita took a break from her novel continuing her ongoing research on depression of how it affects a child. Seeing that Lincoln was still a child, it only made her caution level rise. From the online stories, it made her cover her mouth in horror. Many kids Lincoln's age or older has been affected by this symptom. Some had given up on life completely; others have just given up on life in general.

Judging from the frightening stories, it was clear to her that more measures needed action. Rita thought she stopped him with the kitchen knives. The very thought of what Lincoln could have done with the knife other than food gave her a headache. Maybe she was worrying too much, but with depression, she could not afford to take any chances. As she stepped into Lincoln's room, she knew what she had to do. She knew Lincoln would thank her later.

"Elder brother, might you be able to assist me with your homemade PB&J sandwiches?" Lisa asked Lincoln.

Lincoln put his pencil down, taking a break from his summer school homework. He saw Luan coming by. "Hey Luan, can you help me with Lisa's sandwich please."

"Sure thing, and I got to say, your lookin pretty sharp today Lincoln." Luan chuckled holding a knife. She hoped to lighten Lincoln's sour mood. "Get it?" Lincoln gave an annoyed groan as he still focuses on the sandwich. Once again, Luan's joke failed to crack a smile.

Luan looked over at Lincoln, who was using a spoon to smear peanut butter on a slice of bread, while Luan was using a knife for jelly. "So, why exactly did you need me to do all that? You make Lisa's sandwiches all the time."

Lincoln looked up from his own sandwich. "Well, I try to make them a certain way." He looked back to his own sandwich. "And since Mom said I can't use a knife-"

"Why can't you use a knife?" Luan was looking wondered.

"Well, I was using a knife last, but I wasn't as careful as I should have been, and accidentally nicked myself." He held up his arm, pointing to where an adhesive bandage had been placed. "Mom saw it, and said I wasn't allowed to use anything sharp until further notice."

Lisa was curious as she glanced at the injury on Lincoln's forearm. "That is odd considering that you are normally careful with sharp objects. While a mother's concern is understandable, I doubt that it is hardly a reason to enforce such a policy."

Luan held Lincoln's arm firmly, looking at the bandage. She looked up, locking eyes with her brother. Worry filled her mind. "Lincoln was this an accident, or was it an on-purpose accident?"  
Lincoln just looked confused. "Uh, what?" Lincoln grabbed his arm back. "Luan what are you talking about?"

Lisa, who had been eating and observing, spoke up. "I believe what our elder sibling is trying to discern is if your minor injury was the result of a genuine act of clumsiness, or if you were engaging in self-mutilation, street name, cutting." Lisa explained. "Could it be that your depression has evolve to new levels?"

"That's crazy, why would I do that?" Lincoln replied venomously. He was shocked that his sisters would even suggest such a thing. "Look, it was just an accident nothing more." Even if he stated so, the two sisters look at him saying otherwise.

Watching Lincoln leave, Lisa curiosity added to her mind. Even if Lincoln assured that it was nothing, the two sisters thought otherwise. The very thought of Lincoln doing something drastic to himself made them cringe inside. He was not that desperate. Now that he thought about, he looked at the bandages on his knuckles. It was an injury that was self-inflicted, but not anything life-threatening. Could it be that his mind may have been tempting him to do harm to himself or maybe he was just over thinking it?

They only hope that it was just their imagination. Lincoln's day only got more baffled as he made it to his room. He hoped there if there must be a bit of salvation in his room. As if his day was not hectic enough, he found most of his toys were gone from his Ace Savvy figures to his yo-yos. At least he still had his Ace Savvy comics and most of his furniture.

"Where is all my stuff?" Lincoln inquired.

"I cleared them out Lincoln." Rita answered.

"What why?" Lincoln asked offended.

"It's a part of your punishment, and to avoid any unnecessary thoughts. You have your schoolwork to focus on Lincoln, so as of right now playtime is at a minimum." Rita declared to Lincoln.

"That's not fair, Lynn and Luna got bad grades once and I didn't see you guys taking away their stuff." Lincoln argued.

"Lynn and Luna did not take summer school." Rita replied.

"Yeah, they always had to rely on Lisa to bail them out." Lincoln crossed his arms.

"Don't you talk back to me Lincoln!" Rita yelled, causing Lincoln to finch. "You heard me. So unless you want your punishment to be extended, you would do as I say."

"But…"

"End of discussion!" Rita concluded.

It seems like everyone was hysterical. This left him scratching his head, wondering what came over them. He also did not forget the fact that just Rita shouted at him. Whether it was intentionally or not, even if the kids got under her skin, this seems, unlike Rita. Lincoln never had drastic thoughts. At least so he thought, the more he thought about his worth. Trying to calm down, Lincoln swallowed two of his antidepressants.

Nevertheless, this was something that echoed his brain. He learned about the deep effects of depression symptom. Could he even be capable of doing something so foolish and sinful? He hoped not as he ate quietly in his room in deep, deep isolation.

The next few days were the usual thing, attending summer school and keeping himself out of harm's way. For the most part, it seems like she wanted to help from driving him to school to making sure he was taking his pills. Then, it became more than just simple help, as she would not take her eyes off him. She watched him closely like an eagle.

It even went as far as Rita loudly announcing him of sensitive stuff, thus embarrassing him in front of the school, like asking if Lincoln had the right pair of underwear on. Each moment as he was doing anything but his behind schoolwork, she enforced it to the max. When he was reading a school book, Rita would see through with one of his comics and correct him.

With every method, Lincoln was minding his own business; Rita kept on him like an animal stalking its prey. So far, school seems like Lincoln's only safe haven. At least Rita could not enforce her rules there. For every moment Rita had her eyes on Lincoln, it only brought confusion and annoyance to his face. Even if Rita was just being a caring mother as Lincoln thought, he thought she was caring too much just for a minor injury on his arm. He certainly did not have any thoughts of self-infliction, yet he was still unsure of that case.

Lincoln wondered to himself if he was capable of doing it as he stared blankly at the kitchen utensils. Lincoln may have been a boy, but he was very familiar with the devastating effects of depression. He saw many of the stories that surrounded the concept of suicide. More thoughts questioning his worth and existence clouded his mind. When a thought of self-doubt came to his brain, it was not a joyful thought. Trying to rid his mind of such things, Lincoln shook his head hard.

While shaking his head hard, Lincoln felt his lungs slow down as his vision started to dim. Nervous sweat drenched down his forehead. He had no control of his body as it slipped, landing on his knees. Trying to calm himself, Lincoln regains his balance. Out from his right pocket, he pulled out his antidepressants. As he swallowed the pills, Lincoln rested his head on the kitchen cabinets. The pills took effect as he was starting to breathe normally. Lincoln did not know what just occurred but felt that it would not be a big deal. However, at this time, he was not so sure. One can only hope that his condition did not worsen.

In the meantime, the second youngest return to her room after finishing up her sandwich meal. Even if Lincoln said that it was nothing, Lisa was smart enough to suspect other things on Lincoln mind aside from his depression. She sensed his depression went deeper than expected, as she was very knowledgeable on the subject. However, if Lisa did have a cure for depression, she would have used it long ago, yet even she knew it was not that simple.

While setting up her projector and a blank screen, Lisa gathered the Flash Drive in her pocket. Although it may have looked like an ordinary Flash Drive, it actually was a connector to a secret device of hers. In the headpiece device of hers, she spent days studying Lincoln's depression symptom both awake and asleep. Whether her siblings consented to her experiments or not the young genius had her way around these loopholes. Once projected, it presented a dark abandon corner as a white-haired homeless savaged through the trashcans on his search for food.

"Interesting," Lisa stared with her deadpan face.


	14. Suicidal Tendencies

It was the strike of noon as the clock chimed, indicating another day. Hearing the clock, the homeless middle-child eyes were faintly open as most of his body was still asleep. Not only the clock, but he also heard human voices calling out to him. In addition, there was also something poking at him. The first thought was it was all in his head, yet the taps on his shoulder kept repeating. From the way it was going, Lincoln started to clue in that it was not a dream as the voices got louder.

Lincoln sat up to see an unhappy officer, tapping her foot. Was Lincoln under arrest, because he really did not need himself in jail again? Lincoln took a yawn as his eyes begin to flicker. The officer folded her arms and held her nightstick tightly.

"Hey move it along sir!" The female officer ordered continuing to poke him. "There is no sleeping on park benches; get going!"

"Oh sorry, I just I must have dozed off." Lincoln yawned. Getting impatient, the officer poked at Lincoln again. "Okay, okay, I'm going geez." Lincoln replied walking away.

It had been two days ever since Lincoln's reunion with his rockstar sister. As he was back on the streets, Lincoln checked his watch. It was as the tower clock said; it was middle of the day. Lincoln and Luna were separated for the day. Even if Luna was out on bail, she still had to do her share of community service. Much as Luna hated to leave her poor brother in his time of need, community service was unavoidable. She did not need any more jail time now that her brother was back into her life.

With nothing to do, Lincoln lied in the dark alley. The hard surface ground became his bed, while the old newspaper became his covers. However, as he discovered, it was the same newspaper containing the same article of Lola and her all-star beauty success. It seems like Lola was still getting all the glory. She must have been so proud. Too bad Lincoln did not see that the date on the newspaper was today's date. Besides Luna, he thought the rest of his sister's most have been living-it-up right now.

"Hello sir, do you have any spare change." Lincoln begged the random person, walking beside him.

"Why bother? So you can waste your life on more beer and drugs?" The man disgustedly replied. "I don't think so." He walked away from Lincoln.

"Daddy, who's that man sitting in the alley?"A little girl observed Lincoln.

The father pulled the little girl away from homeless Lincoln. He gave a look of utter disgust towards Lincoln. "Stay away from him sweetie; it's just one of those filthy hobos, probably here because of his stupid addiction for unhealthy stuff. Beings like that should be a shame for themselves."

Lincoln was offended as he scowled back at the man. "Hey most of us are not here because we want to be you know!" Lincoln coughed again as the sickness was showing on the outside. He could feel more blood pushing its way through his mouth.

"I'm so sorry sir, but it seems like your homeless friends left a few days ago." The nun informed Lincoln.

Feeling his stomach grumble, Lincoln looked at his loose change. Once again, the money he had was not even close to a dollar. "Dang it; I should have ask Luna for some money when she left." He said to himself.

Again, Lincoln was on his merry way from the shelter. Now Lincoln wishes he could have been there. This left him officially puzzled on where they could be. They could be just about anywhere, but he did not have time for that now. As he turned his back to walk away, he felt the busy lonely streets were calling out to him. He was about to look for whatever that may benefit him. From his condition, he needed plenty of benefits as well as a health adjustment. Now that he was out of cough medicine, the blood coughing kept coming to him. Though he would have thought it was minor at first, it became recurring after many weeks. Still, at least he was still alive for now.

Pulling at the nun's heartstrings, she stopped the homeless middle-child. "You know there is still from leftover pasta and fruits." The nun offered Lincoln. "It would be a shame to let the food go to waste."

"Thank you."

Lincoln's stomach was practically demanding food, so he had to be a fool not to pass up a free opportunity. Anything was better than starving himself for another day.

To feed such an unfortunate soul was always the nun's great pleasure to preserve life. With a whole plate in front of him, Lincoln spared no expense stuffing his face. He consumed the pasta, mash potatoes, and corn bread. Both Lincoln and his stomach were overjoyed to have something in them. At this rate, he did not even care if he choked. The nun stood dumbfounded if not happy for the man. Nevertheless, she did advise him to paste himself with eating even if it looked like he was dying, which he was not.

* * *

It was a peaceful morning, as the middle-child lied asleep in his room. It was only place of comfort even if most of his stuff was gone. Still, he tried to make the best of his situation, no matter how much it got under his skin. As Lincoln tried to enjoy his alone time let alone his dreams, it came interrupted by a loud noise, and not by his sisters. The sound echoed through his small room waking him up, thus numbing his ears. He could not even drain out the noise in his sleep. Lincoln's vision was faint, but he was able to see his mother stood, as she was arm with a Chinese Gong borrowed from Luna.

"Up and Adam Lincoln, you have a full day of school ahead of you." Rita called to Lincoln.

Lincoln rubbed the sand from his eyes. "Mom, it's an hour before school."

"No excuses, you know what they say about early to bed and early to rise." Rita responded. "Besides this way, you get front pass to the bathroom before your sister's wake up." Lincoln gave a replied scoff pulling the blankets over his face. That did not stop Rita from yanking them off. "Let's go Lincoln, your burning daylight over here! On your feet right now!"

"Can I at least have some privacy to change first?" Lincoln replied getting out of bed. _"I don't believe this."_ Lincoln mumbled in his head.

It had been a few weeks as Rita was still on Lincoln's case. She kept watch on the boy like a hawk. Not one moment did she let her only son out of sight? She made sure she kept him occupied with either schoolwork and kept him away from any potential dangers. Within the Loud House, the list of possible hazards was all there.

"Mom, I'm not done with my breakfast yet." Lincoln felt Rita pulling ion his arm, while Lincoln was still eating his cereal.

"You can eat in the car." Rita shot back.

"Are you serious?" Lincoln inquired to her as if he was challenging her.

Rita gave an unamused glare as she pointed to the front door indicating that she was. With the look of utter defeat and misery, it was clear that Lincoln was having anything but a good day. Lincoln was always the positive thinker of the family, but this time nativity surrounded his face like a virus. Not even the bright smile of the youngest sibling was enough to cheer up the middle-child. In fact, Lincoln's miserable frown almost scared Lily. The matriarch Lincoln gave a silent groan as he walked out of the door holding his bowl of cereal.

Little did Rita know that the Loud sisters were watch Lincoln all this time.

"Dudes do you see that?" Luna inquired to the rest.

"Yeah, looks like mom is really helping Lincoln throughout the day. Why don't we ever receive that help?" Leni guessed from the top of her head.

Knowing that she was really off, all nine sisters slapped their foreheads in reply.

"No Leni: mom has been on Lincoln's case lately, from banning him from knives, to taking away his stuff, now she is on Lincoln like she's his parole officer."

"Yeah, I can't even make a joke about this." Luan added.

* * *

As they arrived on school grounds, Lincoln barely finished his cereal. However, it was difficult for him to the car moving therefore spilling milk and cereal all over Vanzilla, but she would worry about it later. That was minor compared to other things in Vanzilla. Turning his face the other direction, Lincoln silently exit the car. He did not even bother to respond back to the way Rita was waving him goodbye.

"Don't forget to take your pills Lincoln!" Rita shouted. "It will help you prevent any more accidents down there."

This outburst caught the attention of the other students as it led in laugher. Once again, Lincoln was the center of embarrassment for his school. Hiding his face of displeasure, he stomped back to his mother snatching his sack lunch, not caring if this would get her notice. At this rate, anything certainly beat being around his mother right now. He would even take detention if he had to. Whether or not he showed resentment, Rita tried to endure, as she knew that Lincoln would thank her someday.

"Don't forget to give her a kiss momma's boy." One student teased Lincoln.

"Yeah did you forget to bring your pacifier." Another student teased.

Lincoln was already in no mood for this teasing. Heaven knows he gets it enough from his sisters at home. As it continued it only brought annoyances and a little angry to Lincoln. Lincoln was normally not the violent type, but he felt like he wanted to hit something right now. As he had his back turned, the teasing still went on. When Lincoln grinded his teeth, twitched his eye, and tighten his bandage hand, he was set to give those kids a piece of their mind.

Before he could react, someone had already stopped it for him. The Hispanic paid the boys a ruthless scowl, nearly making them freeze in place. "Don't you jerks have anything better to do?" Ronnie Anne said in a threatening tone.

"You think we are scared of you Santiago?" The boy shot back.

"If you are then take your shot. I dare you!" Ronnie Anne challenged turning her hand into a fist, awaiting the first move.

Begrudgingly, the boys walked away from the toughest girl in school, knowing that they did not want to start trouble with her. "Whatever this is lame anyway. We got other things to do then mess with your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend alright…geez…" Ronnie Anne countered, almost blushing. When she reached up to Lincoln with a slight ouch of the shoulder, Lincoln shoved it off as if he was about to hit her. If it was a few inches closer, Lincoln may have scratched her. Moreover, witnessing the bitter frown on his face, he was anything but glad.

Lincoln exhale trying to calm down. "Sorry; a lot has been on my mind lately."

"Is that your book bag Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne noticed Lincoln's backpack carried by his hand.

"Yeah, mom has been all over my case lately. She cut the straps from my backpack to avoid me from 'getting ideas' in her words." Lincoln mumbled, while walking as Ronnie Anne tried to catch up.

Ronnie Anne could easily read between the lines, as she knew what Lincoln was referring to by "certain ideas". The irony and ridiculousness from that statement made her laugh at Lincoln. The more she laughed, the more displeased Lincoln had got. He was already not having a good day. Ronnie Anne seized her laughing only to find out Lincoln was clearly not laughing. "Oh wait your serious. Isn't she overreacting?"

"Yeah tell it to her."

* * *

The young loud scientist monitored the activity that went on within the big screen. She watched as the homeless middle-child wondered through the endless streets without a care. Like a rat, he savaged through the trashcans in search of food. Even if she did not show it from the outside, the future Lincoln clearly pulled at her heartstrings. It was beginning to explain a whole lot of how Lincoln's depression was manifesting itself into real life depression. Lisa had to be either blind or stupid not to see the true cause herself and the damage it was doing to her brother.

"Hey Lisa, I need your help with something." Lola and Lana interrupted the genius. The two of them caught the screen of the homeless person. "Wow Lisa, so who is that deadbeat loser?" Lola crackled at the person's misery.

"That deadbeat loser you are referring to is our brother, approximately fifteen years into the future." Lisa explained.

The twins were applaud by the answer. Then again, the white hair on the homeless man was clearly a dead giveaway.

Lisa titled her glasses as she began to explain. "Throughout the weeks as I discovered elder brother's depression, I have been doing research on what's been dwelling in his mind. While he was in deep slumber, I have been monitoring his every dream with my new invention, the Dream Camera." Lisa presented her device in the shape of a helmet. "With the wireless connection, I am able to view brother's dreams straight out of my laptop when the helmet is attached."

"Well Lincoln seems to be doing well; after all he has the trashcans at his disposal." Lana pointed out.

Lola gave Lana a jab on the shoulder. "That is not the point you philistine!"

"Indeed, while our unique capabilities are pretty much spoken for, Lincoln feels that this is his fate for the future and so on. He's been struggling with this thought all this time."

"So because Lincoln thinks he does not have many accomplishments like we do, this is how he feels his future will be?" Lola felt shame.

"That is correct." Lisa answered, tapping her fingers on her chin. "Mind you that this is only a glimpse into the future. Even I have to admit being out there in that cruel world with little to nothing is quite frightening, kid or adult. I think it's only fair that we notify our parental units at once." Lisa suggested.

"I don't know about that. Mom has been acting harsh to Lincoln lately. Just yesterday, I heard her yelling at Lincoln just for using a knife, and it was a plastic one." Lana advised.

All three little siblings' heart sank as they watched their homeless brother survive on the streets. The video started to attract the older sisters as they sadly watched their brother. It was like watching a sad movie. With one hand on the wall, homeless Lincoln struggled to keep himself on his feet. However, in his current condition, it was a mighty big if. Lincoln raggedy appearance and frail health did not exactly spell A-Okay.

It was not until an hour later as the patriarch had arrived home. The siblings overheard the sounds of the opening front door. The father made his way through the house as they could tell by the rumbles of groceries and the whistling.

"Dad, we need to talk you." Lori was the first to say, meeting the father by the front door.

The father of the Loud family studied the worried-guilty expressions on his kids faces. He could only guess what was on their mind. The last time they came forward like this was when Lynn broke an expensive vase. Lynn Sr. and Rita were proud she came fourth, but upset breaking the rule, thus she got grounded for two weeks. Lynn awaited the response thinking whatever punishment to dish out on the girls.

"It's about Lincoln." Lori stated.

"Your mother is handling that matter." Lynn Sr. quickly answered.

"That's kind of the thing we want to talk to you about."

"Father while it viewed mother's intentions is a cause for worry; we feel that her methods on Lincoln have been really unorthodox lately." Lisa further explained.

"Mom has been on Lincoln's case lately and not in a good way." Luan added.

Lynn Sr. did not want to believe it. "Now girls, I'm sure your mother does not really mean it."

"Might I remind you that these methods have even led to her raising her voice at elder brother for unfair justification?" Lisa clarified. To further explain, please gather into my room."

While Lincoln was on the harsh streets, there was a list of things Lynn Sr. can think of that Lincoln would be vulnerable to? Just thinking of those list of things made Lynn quiver inside. He wanted to cry. As he watched the video, Lynn Sr. felt Lincoln's depression was stemming from more than Lincoln's inferiority. He made the mistake of shoving out their only son before and it was mistake that he did not care repeat, especially if the son ended up in this miserable predicament.

"I think it's about time I have a talk with your mother." Lynn Sr. announced.

* * *

"Aw bogus dude; you can't come to the beach with us?" Luna saddened after hearing the news.

"Sorry Luna; mom's orders and apparently to her I have a lot of work to catch up on." Lincoln replied.

It was afternoon as Lincoln helped his sister's pack for the beach. Since summer was in session, the beach was open season for the Louds. Just like Dairyland, the sisters carried joy in their eyes. Too bad Lincoln did not carry the same happiness, as his face remains uncaring. It was neither happy nor sad. The loud sisters did not see it on the outside, but knew Lincoln was still sad on the inside. Sympathy was still express to their soaking brother for Lincoln missing the fun.

"Come on honey, I know he's grounded but does he really have to miss out? Isn't this a bit much? Lynn Sr. spoke feeling sorry for Lincoln.

"I'm sorry, but this is for the best. He can't afford to waste anymore time then he already has." Rita stood firm in her decision. She had not intention of changing her mind.

"It's not going to be fun without you big brother." Lola said embracing Lincoln from the side.

"Yeah, who's going to help us build sandcastles?" Lana added also hugging Lincoln from the side.

"Don't worry I'll be fine. Besides it's not the first time you guys left me by myself." Lincoln said.

"We know that son. We just want to make sure you are safe and sound." Lynn assured with a hand on Lincoln's shoulder.

"I'll be fine really; you guys have a good time." Lincoln assured with a false smile, but they could already see behind it. Deep down, they knew he had to be disappointed.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay Lincoln?" Leni asked like everyone else holding concerns for her little brother.

Even if he insured that everything was fine, Lynn Sr. and the girls still were not convinced behind that fake jester. As the pulled out of the driveway, neither eyes were taken off Lincoln. They felt like they were leaving a child behind for the slaughter. Nevertheless, the beach was calling to them so there was not any time to waste. Rita still stood with her choice even if the others were not that confident.

Lynn Sr. and Rita relax on their beach chairs as they watch their daughters have fun. Just like Dairyland, it was just the parents and their ten daughters. While Lincoln missing the theme park did not bother him that much, it still bothered the family a bit. Lola and Lana focus on their sandcastles, Lori and Leni sunbathe, and the rest of the siblings had a friendly game of Volleyball. Knowing Lynn Jr. the game was anything but a friendly competition.

"Rita, isn't this a bit much, not letting Lincoln go with us, punishment or not? I feel bad for not taking him." Lynn said breaking silence as him and the girls were concern by inclusion of their only son.

"He will be fine Lynn, he has a lot of school work to catch up on, so he can't afford fun activities."

"It's more than that isn't it?" Lynn suspected as the subject as been bugging him for a while. "So the girls tell me that you have been playing favorites?" Lynn spoke.

"Aren't you worried about Lincoln?" Rita exclaimed at Lynn.

"Off course I am; but I don't think keeping watch on him twenty-four seven is an option."

"I'm only doing what's best for him as his mother!" Rita replied with half anger in her voice.

Lynn Sr. tried to be as calm as possible. "Rita; Lincoln will not end up like him."

"And just how can you be sure!" Rita argued. "He is an eleven-year-old boy Lynn!"

"Because Lincoln is better than that, he may be a kid but he has enough common sense to know that. You really think this making it better?"

Rita was already reaching her patients with this conversation. She did not want to get into an argument. "I'd soon rather see Lincoln resent me then see him in his grave Lynn!" Rita angrily shot back.

As she walked away, it was clear Rita's mind was made up. She thought Lynn was just overreacting, but she knew she doing was right. To prove him wrong, Rita tried to call her son. After a few tones, the call went to voicemail. Rita's first is that Lincoln may have been indisposed, so nothing to worry about. After waiting a few minutes, she called again only to get no response. Probably was sleeping peacefully, she hope it was not permanently. Concern started to form after the third failed call. This was not like Lincoln to miss his family calls.

When a scary thought came to mind, it made Rita tremble. It brought a very painful memory of that someone she loved. Right in from of her eyes, he lied unconscious with a rope around his neck. Shocked was not the proper word to describe the scene. Horrified was more like it that it made her screen from the top of her lungs.

As Lincoln came up at that same picture, it started to make her uneasy. Depression or not, Lincoln would the last person to be in that trap. The further she thought about it, the sicker she felt inside. Maybe she was thinking too much. Rita got her phone and called the house again. The wait made mother shake inside as the call was sent to voicemail, Rita's worries increased tenfold.

"No! Not this time!" Rita said loudly. "Everyone get in the car, we're leaving!" Rita ordered.

Racing through traffic, panic was on overdrive to the mother. Rita did not care how many traffic laws she was breaking, so long as it helped her get to the destination. Honking cars and traffic signs were not her concern. With the way she was driving, the family was more scared of her reckless driving; wondering what was going through that intense mind. At this rate, they wonder if Rita would be daring to evade a cop.

Tires slash through the surface as they arrive home. Rita wasted no time rushing through the front door. She kicked the door open as if she was a police officer raiding a house. From the front glance, to the left and right, she checked for possible signs of her confirm fears. After a mid glance in the left direction, Rita caught sight of a rope, and already it made her sick inside.

Lincoln came into the living room. Rita was quick to grab her son by the arm. "Lincoln, what did you do?" Rita questioned her son, not knowing if it was anger or worry she felt.

"I was putting up Walt's birdcage." Lincoln replied, feeling his mother's intense grip. The grip was enough to hurt his hand

"Don't lie to me!" Rita yelled. "You think I don't know what this is?"

"What are you talking about?" Lincoln was confused.

"Enough Lincoln; go to your room right now!" Rita commanded in a booming tone. "And I'll be confiscating your comics to avoid anymore distractions."

"You're kidding right?" Lincoln venomously shot back. Lincoln went on second glance as his mother's face indicated she was not joking. "Fine! Then why don't take my soul while you're at it...Rita!" Lincoln talked back to his mother not caring if it would get him in more trouble. Nevertheless, Lincoln obeyed marching to his room.

This had to be a breaking point as Lincoln had just addressed his mother by her first name. Only cases as a child would call parents by their first were moments of mistrust or negative treatment. It was like an arrow shooting through her heart, yet she remains confident that she was doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, however, the family did not share the same thoughts as they witnessed everything. Both sides were clearly at a loss for words. They stared at the mother as if she was some sort of abuser. The father and the daughters were both aghast with not terrified by the behavior Rita just demonstrated. Even when pushed to her limit, Rita would never act hostile towards her children. Now Lynn Sr. was beginning to pain the big picture.

* * *

Sticking to his punishment, Lincoln hit the books. Ms. Johnson wasted no time updating the substitute teacher on Lincoln's failed works. It really showed from the large stacks of paper. At least he was able to get some privacy, which made it much easier to concentrate. Not that it made much difference since Rita still had him on restriction. Even if he were sneak his way into doing stuff, Rita would know right away as if she was tracking his every move.

As the skies darken, Lincoln spent his day secluded in his room. He spared no effort in skipping out on dinner, much to his family's thoughts. Most of his day spent consuming more antidepressants going against Rita's words of only taking two a day. He hoped to bring down his stress level. Unfortunately, the pills only help Lincoln a little in his situation. It proved to be a mistake as the drugs started to have an usual effect on the boy.

Lincoln's body felt like lead weights. Moreover, Lincoln's vision was getting blurry and stomach tied into a knot. Lincoln barely had control of his own body as he grasped a piece of model plane. He could find the pointy part object while his stuff was not all taken. Lincoln did not pay attention to the damage what he was doing to his palm or the amount of blood begging to come out.

Even if Lincoln had denied it, all the dark thoughts in his mind were echoing to him to "end it." Was he going crazy? This was truly all the self-doubts of temptation. With the way felt, Lincoln felt the need to obey. The dark abyss was calling out to him. Under the grip, he caught a glimpse of homeless Lincoln, looking at the same sadden expression. The glance as they counted the days when this outcome will truly come into fruition.

It was as if an invisible force took control of his hand as he tried to fight the grip. Inner forces were trying to convince him to do it. He even went as far as hurting his hand to break the grip. After a few bangs, he the sharp piece left his palm, but not his hand in pain. Luckily, there was little blood while most of the pain was just bruising. The bruising took place from his hand to his wrist. He did not even bother to moan or say ouch over this painful display.

He tried to concentrate and purge his mind of all sinful thoughts. Even if he was stoic on the outside, he was feeling something else inside. The tears were beginning to show. Deep exhales at a time, Lincoln tried to calm himself after feeling that negative feeling. So this was the dark temptation he felt. For a moment, Lincoln had no control of himself. Perhaps he just needed rest as he lied down. He could already feel his body going on immediate shutdown. All of Lincoln's senses were unresponsive that he did not even hear his bedroom door open.

"Hey Linky, sorry you could not come to the beach with us, so I got you this as a souvenir." Leni gave Lincoln a special Ace Savvy cup. Lincoln quickly tossed it away as it barely matter to him. Knowing Lincoln's love for Ace Savvy, this was unlike him to turn out the gesture. Leni did not know too much about depression, but she could see Lincoln was literally not himself. The catatonic blank teary-eyed expression was an obvious sign on his depression. "Lincoln, what happened, are you sad because mom yelled at you?"

Lincoln wiped the tears from his eyelids. "No Leni, just the side effect of the pills mom gave me." He murmur, as his voice was not sobbing.

Lincoln's display of misery was enough to pull the second eldest forward. He was actually making Lucy look happy-go-lucky. Leni took a seat next to Lincoln's bed and embraced the middle-child. Leni did not care if he resisted or denied; because deep down she knew that Lincoln was suffering inside. No matter how Lincoln tried to fight it, he knew he was defeated at this point. "It's okay to be sad." Leni whispered to her brother.

Through the embrace, Lynn Sr. and Rita peeked into Lincoln's room. Seeing that the second eldest beat them to it, it saved the parents the trouble. From what was Lincoln going through, Lynn Sr. felt like crying himself as if he was not already crying on the inside. Lynn Sr. came to an important decision. "Starting tomorrow, we are going to have Lincoln see a therapist."


	15. Making the first step

Author Note: Happy Thanksgiving! Yeah people were a bit upset on the last chapter left off, so hopefully, this one will shed some light. I think this may be my longest chapter of the story.

* * *

7:00 am taken place in the Royal Woods doctor's office. Having overdose on the pills, Lynn Sr. rushed Lincoln to the hospital. Lynn Sr. watched as the doctor performed the check up on Lincoln. The doctor went checking Lincoln's heart rate to testing his pulse and checking for signs of a concussion. Lincoln sat quietly with his deadpan face as the doctor did his checkup. After the final investigation in Lincoln's mouth, he concluded.

"Well Mr. Loud, despite the overdose, it seems like your son is fine. The only effects it left was slight headaches, stomach pain, and nausea, other than that no permanent damage." The doctor reported. "But to keep himself on his feet, I am prescribing safer antidepressants medications."

"Alright thank you." Lynn Sr. replied.

"Also for the sake of his depression, I would also recommend therapy." He continued as he wrote a prescription paper.

"We are still working on that. We're trying to find a good therapist."

The doctor looked at Lynn with a puzzled face. "Well then, I do recommend a certain someone." The doctor pulled out a card from his white coat.

"Dr. Yolanda Lopez." Lynn read on the card which brought questions to Lincoln and Lynn's mind. It could not be the same Dr. Lopez that Clyde mentioned.

"Yeah, her and I went to medical school together, if anyone can help your son, it's her. She's worked with children and married couples, one of her famous patients is the McBride family." So it was the Dr. Lopez the doctor was referring to as Lincoln and Lynn suspected as they mid-glance at each other. "Tell you what; I'll put in a good word for you, and she can schedule you an appointment as soon as possible. Tell her Dr. Fred Brownstein sent you. "

"That would be great, thank you." Lynn Sr. thanked the good doctor with a handshake. "Ready to go sport?"

Lincoln nodded silently.

A few hours later, Lincoln has dropped off at Ms. Dimartino's again. The substitute teacher stood at the from door waiting for Lincoln. It was another day of probational work ahead of him, hooray for him. With a sigh of hopelessness, Lincoln went inside. Lincoln did not even notice that his father went to talk to the substitute. Whatever the case, he just wanted to get the day over.

By the disinterested look on Lincoln's eyes, Ms. Dimartino knew Lincoln's day was anything but glorious. "So Lincoln how have you been?" Ms. Dimartino greeted happily.

"Fine, I guess." Trying to keep his composure, yet it showed half of his moodiness.

Ms. Dimartino remained confident. "Well then, let's see if we can turn that frown upside down, and on the bright side you have the weekend off next week."

"Yay." Lincoln cheered with little happiness which almost sounds like sarcasm.

The chore list was the same as usual. Ms. Dimartino assigned Lincoln yard work. Knowing that yard work was still his least favorite work, it only made Lincoln sigh louder. On the bright side, however, the lovely substitute had assured him that it was all he had to do today.

Armed with the gardening tools, gloves, and water bottle, Lincoln went to his job. He knew he was going to be in for a day of boringness and frustration. Within the rough dirt, he pulled the weeds and dead plants. With little time Ms. Dimartino had to her gardening, it only made his job much tricky, especially since the substitute did not have a lawnmower. Burning a lot of sweet, Lincoln fought against the weeds like they were enemies in a video game.

Face, chest, and shirt drenched with heavy sweat from work, or it could have been working in the sun for long. Coming across the final weed, Lincoln pulled the throne plant with both hands as if he was playing tug-a-war. He would hate to imagine if he was fighting a gopher. Lincoln bet Lana would jump at that opportunity to determine the real ruler of the dirt.

After that Lincoln's work finished, it was a great relief as he splashed water on his face. As Lincoln lied on the grass, the teacher appeared above him. "Well someone has been working hard today." Ms. Dimartino commented Lincoln's hard work as the backyard was weed free. She might even consider hiring Lincoln as her yard worker.

Ms. Dimartino did not spare anytime rewarding Lincoln's hard work with a cold beverage and a nice meal. With all the weeds Lincoln pulled, it was breathtaking to dead plants have been defeated. Also, Lincoln was starving as ate away at the food given to him.

"Since we still got time, we don't we do something together." Ms. Dimartino paid Lincoln a smile.

On the plain backyard concrete, Dimartino grabs two chalks. Lincoln did not know where she was going with this until she started doodling the ground. It only took a few minutes to draw a cat and the next few to construct a mouse. It was a picture in the most detailed way possible. Lincoln was impressed with Dimartino's artistic skills. "Now then Lincoln, I want you to take this chalk and draw whatever is on your mind, doesn't matter what it is." Ms. Dimartino instructed Lincoln. "Feel free to express yourself to relax your mind."

Lincoln was unsure as he grasps the chalk. He didn't know what purpose it was going to serve, let alone he questioned if he should even care. What difference was it going to make at this point? Still, there was no point in beating around the bush now. Like Dimartino, Lincoln started to doodle on his own. It began with a few scribbles, then formed into specific things.

Dimartino return only to have her eyes shocked over the outcome. From her analysis, it was a very detailed, structured, drawing of Lincoln's sisters on top of the mountain while Lincoln was at the very bottom. As described in dreams, the sisters were all successful, and he was not. Well, she did say draw anything that comes to mind, but she did not mean that literally. Now that her questions answered, it was clear that Lincoln's problem was worse than she thought. But like everyone else, she did want to help the poor boy.

* * *

In the meantime, the home was a no better place. With what the girls have witnessed, neither of them were in any mood to talk or associate with the mother. Lynn Sr. did not want to believe it until he saw it. Although Lynn would always support his wife's decisions, this was something he was not on the same page. However, unlike the girls, he did not think any less of his wife, even in the ugliest of fights. Rita was still in shock that Lincoln was bold enough to address his mother by her first name. Whether he meant it or not, Lynn Sr. and the girls could not blame Lincoln.

That day Rita lied in bed with her hand on her forehead as if she was sick as thinking about what happened the other day. Rita's outburst was enough to shake Lincoln as well as possibly vanquish her bound she has with him. Even if Rita did not strike Lincoln, but god forbid if it happened. She also knew the daughters had it on their minds. They started giving their mother the cold shoulder. Rita wanted to debate her next move but decided not to. The girls and Lynn felt she done enough damage.

"I thought I was doing the right thing." Rita dwelled in the bedroom as Lynn came inside.

"Rita, I'm sure Lincoln's is not angry at you." Lynn tried to cheer up his wife.

"He called me by my first name Lynn! I think that's obvious at this point. Maybe I need to step up my approach." Rita suggested, overthinking. "Maybe I can…"

Lynn Sr. stopped his wife from completing that sentence. "Look, I know you mean well but I think you should let me handle it," Lynn spoke in the calmest way to avoid any more conflict. "Please just leave it to me, I have a plan, let me try to salvage any relationship you have with him." Lynn Sr. begged holding his wife's hand.

"Do you think you can help Lincoln yourself?" Rita stared at Lynn with her nearly teary-eyed expression of uncertainty.

"Honestly I don't know honey, but I'm going to give a try for this family sake. First things first, Lincoln is going to see a therapist, Dr. Lopez."

"Lopez? The one Clyde talks about."

"Yep, the one and only."

The recess of summer school, Lincoln often sat by himself, since his friends were on vacation. With the way he was quiet and motionless, kids looked at the middle-child like he was socially awkward or a zombie. He watched as the kids played while he sat on the sidelines. Even now, Lincoln's mind was in another place. With the way his depression was, he was still unsure if he would ever share happiness again.

"Hey Lame-O, I been looking for you." Ronnie Anne approaches the aloof boy.

"Snickerdoodles?" Lincoln offered a bag of cookies.

"Thanks." Ronnie accepted a piece.

A moment of silence took the two of them for a few minutes. Judging from the blankness from Lincoln, he was apparently in no mood to talk, but hopefully, he was in a mood to listen. However as described by Bobby and Lori, Lincoln depression was worse than she thought. She didn't even know if her words were going to work on him, but never hurts to try.

"So how are you feeling Lincoln?" Ronnie asked.

"Fine, I guess, nothing to brag about," Lincoln answered sounding a bit moody more than usual. At this rate, Ronnie Anne trend carefully.

"Okay then."

"So do you normally get your kicks by messing with me every day, or just go after whoever suits you?"

Ronnie Anne was a bit insulted, but she resisted the urge to argue. That was the last thing she wanted at the moment. "Contrary to what you heard of me, I was not always the hardcore you view me as."

"Is that so?" Lincoln was curious.

"When my dad left, it put a hole in all of us, especially my mother. She took it upon herself to provide for her family. Each time Bobby and I would often ask about dad, she would say with a smile 'don't worry, your father will be home before you know it.' I know she was trying to be optimistic on the outside." Ronnie Anne explained. "Soon Bobby started working multiple jobs, despite mom's protest, but she let him so long as he kept up with his schoolwork."

"What happened then?"

"Those days being by myself gave me the freedom to do whatever I want, but I guess you can say I started abusing that opportunity until I got bullied. Eventually, I turned the tides, but not for the better." Ronnie Anne held her head down.

Lincoln raise a curious eyebrow, but already knew what she was saying.

"When I witnessed how much of a strain, it was putting on my mom of all her hard work and barely any home time, that is how much I knew it was meaningless. So I took it upon myself to also help in any way I can."

"I don't get it, Ronnie Anne, why are you so aggressive at school, yet you're a sweetheart at home?"

"I don't know alright. I guess I just loved my reputation as the toughest girl gets to me. That way, no one would dare mess with me, not even you."

Lincoln turn his head away from his former bully. With a look a feeling of sorrow, Ronnie looked at Lincoln. "Look Lincoln, I don't expect my story to buy your sympathy, nor try to justify my actions, but I do care how you view me. I do want to help."

Lincoln sat up from the bench. "Well with much that has happened, the jury is still out. But one thing is certain; I do not hate you." The former bully watch as the middle-child walked away. It brought an air of relief to know that Lincoln did not despise her. Now she was hoping she can do her part.

* * *

Through the waiting room, Lincoln sat in the seats with his father, kicking his feet up and down, not knowing what to feel to see a therapist. He watched as business suits, janitors, and secretaries roam the building.

Thanks to Dr. Brownstein's official recommendation, they were able to get an early appointment. With all the rants that Clyde had said about Dr. Lopez, even he was wondering what was so special about this therapist. Lincoln knew he was not crazy, yet he knew he had problems. At the very least, he was not in Lunatic Asylum.

Sensing Lincoln's negativity sweat, Lynn asked, "You nervous sport?"

"Kinda," Lincoln held his head down. "It's just that, I've always considered myself the sane and headstrong one of the family, and now; I can't believe it has to come to this. Does this mean I'm a failure?"

"No, it means your mother and I are the failures because we did not do a good job of fixing the problem." Lynn Sr. replied. "So to avoid any more conflict, we figured you needed to see a therapist because we are all worried about you buddy."

"Dr. Lopez will be with you in a minute." One the receptionist informed Lincoln.

Venturing into upstairs of the office building, he caught by the doctor's voice. Though the close door, it sounded like she was annoyed much less irritated. The first thought was a sibling quarrel or a couple of disputes. The second thought was a call from her boss or employee. But it was soon answered as he heard Clyde's name. For the most part, it was understandable why she would be annoyed.

Peeking his head through the cracked door, Lincoln got a glance of the female therapist. Dr. Lopez was on the phone as she looked at the bright window. When Dr. Lopez turned her chair, it was as Clyde had described, a Hispanic woman with, brown shoes, a green overcoat, minus the scarf due to the summer weather. When her sunken eyes caught the white-haired child, she signaled him to come in.

"Look, Clyde, I'm with a patient right now, so please call me back later." She concluded, hanging up the phone. "And please do not call me off work hours."

"Dr. Lopez, I presume?" Lincoln inquired.

"Indeed. So you know who I am." The doctor got out of her desk, sipping her coffee.

"My best friend Clyde told me all about you," Lincoln replied.

"Ah yes, Clyde McBride, one of my number one patient." Dr. Lopez answered in an unconformable tone. The doctor could not list all the times getting annoyed with Clyde on a daily basis. With all the times Clyde had mention Lincoln, she only prayed he was not as unstable as he was. "Please take a seat."

"Okay."

With a Notepad in hand, she waited for Lincoln to get comfortable on the recliner. Dr. Lopez got a pen as she held a professional face. The professional took a seat in her office chair next to Lincoln. She got comfortable as she crossed her legs. "Don't feel nervous Lincoln, we are just here to talk, everything in this room stays confidential. Now then why don't you tell me what is on your mind? From what I heard from Clyde, seems like you have been going through an intense depression."

"A lot of things lately." Lincoln lied down staring at the ceiling.

"Like…" Lopez raises a curious eyebrow.

"Everything from my sister's achievements and the constant nightmares."

"Why don't you tell me about these nightmares?" Lopez said writing in her notepad.

"It is dreaming where my sister's much more than what they already have and I become nothing," Lincoln explained as the thought still made him sore inside. "It's like where they climb to the top of the building for every victory, while I'm always at the bottom."

"Hum, I see." The Doctor hummed. "And how do you describe yourself at the bottom?"

"In these dreams I had, all my sister's have successful careers while I'm just a worthless homeless person on the streets."

Dr. Lopez eyes widen with shock. "And how long have these dreams been going on?" Dr. Lopez pressed on.

"I'd say more than a few weeks, maybe close to a month."

"Please continue," Lopez told the boy, starting to feel sympathy.

Lincoln nodded. "Each of my sisters has something special, and they have trophies to show for it." Dr. Lopez took a mid-glance issuing Lincoln to continue. "There a trophy case at home where everyone has their trophies and achievements. Each section of the case is named after all of them us. Lori just acquired her golfing trophy. Leni's fashion is easily recognizable. Luna has her music talent, Luan has her comedy act, Lynn is an athlete, Lucy has her poems, Lola is a Pageant Princess, Lana got both plumbing and mechanical skills, and Lisa is a well-known scientist for her age, even Lily got a trophy, and she's a baby. However, Lincoln Loud has no achievement whatsoever. I watch every day as my side collects nothing but dust and spider webs."

"Have you ever attempted to win a trophy?"

"Several times, but it only failed," Lincoln remembered. "There was this one time during a video contest at school; I recorded secretly of my sister's embarrassing moments in hopes that I would win the contest. But needless to say, my actions had painful consequences." Lincoln recalled the time where all of his sister's slam the door in his face. He could still remember the hateful looks on their faces. "I made it up to them by embarrassing myself to get the heat off my sister's. It took more than three weeks before the teasing stop. It was a big price to pay, but at least I was back on good graces with my sisters. They even gave me a trophy even if it was nothing major."

Dr. Lopez took off her glasses and wiped them off. She took a quick breathe to try to get her thoughts together. From what Clyde has told her, Lincoln was complex. It was not horrifying, but she could say that Lincoln had his fair share of hardship.

"Then weeks ago, I tried to do the same thing they did only to fall flat on my face."

The doctor was starting to paint a clear picture as she wrote on her notepad. "Hmph...I see...so you are questioning your purpose. And you feel like you have been standing in the shadow of your sisters?" The doctor observed.

"Sorry, it must be a lot for you to take in."

"Don't be so melodramatic Lincoln; you are not the first case I had with this problem. This kind of struggle with inferiority is common among big families. One's insecurities can cause envy and even manifest into jealousy." Dr. Lopez explained. "How do you think most villains driven in media?" Dr. Lopez sat up from her chair.

As Lincoln took in the advice, he recalled the time where he yelled at his sister's. At that point, it was clear that Lincoln's jealousy had taken over. Lincoln's pride and envy lead him to try to imitate his sisters, only to have unfortunate results. With his parents praise to his sisters, he was willing to do what it takes to receive that same praise. The more he thought, the more it hurts inside.

"Well, I think it was pretty noble of you to save your sisters from further humiliation, even if I do think it is a bit extreme. It just shows how much you love and support your sisters."

Lincoln sat up as he twiddles his thumbs. "It is true; I have always supported my sister's passions and ambitious. I supported them so long that I never thought about my own. Am I selfish?"

Dr. Lopez shook her head. "I think you're confusing the two Lincoln. You're more selfless than you realize. One can only go so far in just cheering from the sidelines, trust me I know. I've also had my share of inferiority."

Dr. Lopez wiped off her glasses and proceeded to the next subject. "Now to the topic of homeless people, not all homeless situations are caused by unfilled goals. Many things can cause them."

"Like what?"

"Well, one of the number one reasons for homelessness is unemployment. There is also a problem with addiction, lack of proper health care, runaways and much more." Dr. Lopez wrote notes. "So if I got this correct, the dreams you describe is you as a homeless while your sisters are successful. How are your dreams?"

"Yeah, it's just me and the streets. From each dream, I hope for something good, only to get something worst. From getting mugged, beaten up, shove away and suffering feeble health to the point that where I'm coughing up blood."

To say that the doctor was visibly shocked would be an understatement. Lincoln was not even a legal adult and yet he was experiencing some scary adult stuff. Heaven knows she has experienced some very complicated cases of homeless underage children. If any, this had to be an adult's number one fear especially with children. As she thought, the depression was worse as she imagined.

"So I see," Dr. Lopez cleared her throat. "Well Lincoln, it would seem that this inferiority you have with your sisters has manifested itself into a depression. Let me tell you there are many scary sides the depression and if not handled right the results could be catastrophic."

Lincoln knew that for sure as he held his head down. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

Dr. Lopez rose from her seat. She kneed down to Lincoln's level. "All I can suggest is patients Lincoln. It takes time for one's potential to truly form whether your a child or adult." Dr. Lopez smiled. "Right now you're at that difficult age of uncertainty, but you should focus on what you're capable of, not your sisters. And who knows, it might be closer than you think."

"Do you think I'll be able to find it?" Lincoln looked the doctor directly.

"Only time will tell, but the worst thing you can ever do is give up on yourself. Everyone has a purpose in life. Do you understand?"

"I suppose," he replied rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you, Dr. Lopez." Lincoln was on his way to the door.

"Oh and Lincoln."

"Yes Dr. Lopez," Lincoln turned his head in reply.

"My doors are always open if you feel the need to chat again." Dr. Lopez smiled at the boy. "Stay strong not only for yourself but your family sake." The doctor waved to the boy. Outside the office, she saw the patriarch meeting up with his son. She issued him to come in.

Lynn Sr. entered the office. "So how did his session go Dr. Lopez?"

"Pretty well Mr. Loud. Similar to other cases, it's not as complicated as I thought." Dr. Lopez answered back. "Also, if I may offer my un-bias opinion? Perhaps, you and your wife should not spend so much time praising your daughters."

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked.

"Look I'm not saying you should not feel proud of your one of your kid's achievements, but at the same time, you should also consider how it reflects you're other kid's who has nothing to show for it. With the amount of praise and attention, jealousy will not be the worst thing to come to families." The doctor stated.

"I see what you mean." Lynn blinked twice. He took the time to think about it. He could not count all the times where the Loud children would fight, and not just for contest purposes. "I'm happy for all my kids, and no matter what we never play favorites."

"True, but not all children will see it that way. Your son is most affected to the point where he's lost, and you need to reassure him that he is not."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Lynn said. "By the way, am I going to have to worry about them…" Lynn paused rubbing his thumb and long finger. Dr. Lopez could tell what he was saying.

Dr. Lopez shook her head. "Do not concern yourself with stuff like that." Right now your son needs you."

* * *

Summer School day had come to an end as the bell ring. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne walk out of school together. Throughout the day, they continued to talk more. No pranks or insults were even present nor mention though the conversation. It was just a normal one between two kids. Thir talk came to a halt as a familiar van pulled up into the school driveway. Lincoln recognize the horn, yet it was not Vanzilla. It was the new minivan Lynn Sr. once had known as Veronica. Already, this display had Lincoln scratching his head with questions as Ronnie Anne was the same. The windows opened revealing the male parent.

"Hey there sport, ready for an exciting day ahead of us?" Lynn Sr. greeted his son.

Lincoln inquired, "Dad is that Veronica?"

"Yep, I rented her for the weekend we got planned, just the two of us." Lynn Sr. answered.

"Us?"

"You got it buddy, just me, you and the great outdoors. I already got your stuff packed in the back."

Lynn Sr. glance at Lincoln's direction to see the Hispanic girl right beside him. "And you must be Ronnie Anne Santiago; my daughters have told me all about you. How are you today?"

"I'm fine Mr. Loud, thanks." Ronnie Anne replied. "I'll see you later Lincoln." Ronnie Anne wave to Lincoln and Lincoln waved back.

"She's quite a catch son, already getting a girlfriend at a young age." Lynn Sr. winked and nudged Lincoln.

Lincoln stepped inside the van, "Dad, she's not my girlfriend."

Lynn Sr. laughed a bit. "I'm just messing with your kiddo. Like any other girl, she has her thrones, but I'm sure she's a good person inside, even if she does not show it at times. You should invite her to dinner sometime."

"Switching gears, are we going on a camping trip together?"

"Yep, just a father and son time, something to take a break from all that you have been going. I felt bad about you missing our family trips to Dairyland and the beach."

Before Lincoln could open his mouth, Lynn interjected. "Don't worry I talked it over with your mother. I'm not going to try to force things upon you. For now, it's just all about us son."

It was an hour drive as Lynn Sr. made it to Royal Woods campsite. They were miles away from the town. The father inhales the surrounding nature air environment. Like Grand Venture State Park, an area filled with massive mountains, lakes that stretched miles long, significant picnic areas, and more than a line of trees around the wilderness. As Lincoln helped his father unpack the van, it brought back memories. It was the same campsite that Lincoln had tended to his sisters every whim after their debate war. The more he thought about it, the more he started to regret it and thus missing out on his good time. Nevertheless, so long as his sisters were happy, it was worth it. Then there was a time where he let his goth sister predictions dictate his actions, forcing him into hiding from possible dangers.

Thank goodness, it was just him and his old man. He did not want to go through that hardship again even he deserved it. With ease, Lincoln assisted Lynn Sr. in setting up camp from the tents to sorting out refreshments and camp tools. Since it was just the two of them in nature, Lynn also confiscated Lincoln's phone and his own. Like every camper, he wanted to do it old school. Lincoln was still unsure of the purpose but followed along. After the final preparations, Lynn handed Lincoln a fisher pole.

"Come on son, let's catch us some fish." Lynn offered.

Lincoln silently nodded.

The day started with fishing as they cast their rods. Now it was time for the waiting game. Lynn Sr. made sure to stack up on bait, since Lana was known for eating the bait, sometimes more than a few can full. It was a good thing for him that she was not around. With not much on the mind, Lincoln stare blankly at the lake. Lynn could not tell if he was starting to get emotionless or Lincoln was not feeling the camp spirit. Either way, the father's mind debated different things to try to ease the tension between Lincoln and Rita. He did not want to say the wrong things to make Lincoln feel worse about his condition. For now, he just started small.

"So how are you feeling kiddo?" Lynn Sr. begin the conversation, but realize it may have been wrong as he covered his mouth. With what has happened the other day, it was probably not the best starter.

"Well, I could be worse," Lincoln said with deadpan in his voice.

Lynn Sr. decided to try something new. "You know my dad took me to this very same campsite when I was feeling down. Yes sir, it sure brings back old memories." Lynn had reminisced. "It has not changed one bit."

"It is beautiful I guess," Lincoln responded.

Well, at least Lincoln was starting to talk again as Lynn thought. Now he was about to trend in unpleasant territories. He only hopes that it would not crush the relationship he had with his son. Lynn Sr. took a deep sigh and began. "You know Lincoln, while I do understand your mother's concern, at the same time, I do not agree with her methods of doing these things."

Just the subject alone was able to make Lincoln scowl. By the angry look on his face, he had no regret addressing his mother by her first name.

"Lincoln, your mother…" Lynn Sr. stammered. "It's not that your mother is always picking on you because she can, it's the fact that she had dealt with a loss of someone in the past."

Lincoln looked at his father with a questioning glance. "She did?"

"Yeah, she once had a sibling that dealt with depression, but unfortunately was unable to save." Lynn Sr. told Lincoln. "It was her little brother Mitchell." Lynn Sr. presented a photo of a blond guy right beside Rita. By his happy smile, surfer-like haircut, and both ears pierced, he seems like one of those cool kids.

"I did not know mom had a brother." Lincoln looked at the photo.

"Yeah, her brother was the bright and ambitious guy always in pursuit of the next goal. He was a star jock since high school, always showing off and loving it, while Rita always supported him." Lynn had narrated. "Those two were just as integral as the heroes in your Ace Savvy comics. So long as he had his lifelong goals and his position in the team, he was happy. It was during a match with a college team that his dreams were cut short, by an unfortunate accident. Still, he remained positive that it would heal only to receive that bad news that he would not play again. When that news hit him, Mitchell's life begins to crumble. Rita, Albert, and Aunt Ruth tried so hard to help him even if he claimed he didn't need it. Then years later, the unfortunate happened."

"You mean?"

"Yeah, Mitchell committed suicide. He hung himself in his apartment. It was one of the fewest times in Rita's life that she witnessed a dead body. She blamed herself for not being able to help him, and that was when she was pregnant with Lori. It's just a shame that you guys never met your late uncle."

Lincoln jaw dropped with shock and disbelief. He did not even know what to say to that story.

"Yeah sure it does not justify Rita's actions, but at least you do understand it. You did not once succumb to the feeling of ending yourself Lincoln, and I am proud of you for that." Lynn Sr. said.

Lincoln was not sure. "Yeah well actually, the thought did come to mine."

Lynn Sr. was horrified by Lincoln's confession but was not too surprised. The old man felt his heart race for a bit. Deep inside, he felt Rita's worry. He was very thankful that Lincoln did not think try to attempt it as often. Heaven knows that he would lose it if Lincoln had fell victim to suicide. Lincoln did not need any more pressure from Rita.

"Well, I'm just glad, you were strong enough to conquer it, pills or no pills. It shows how much willpower you have in you." Lynn Sr. said with relief in his breath, trying to be as calm as any parent could with that news. Lynn Sr. slowly wrap his arm around his son's shoulder.

"Willpower?" Lincoln looked at his father with a question.

"Yeah son, it is the strength to endure a situation no matter how harsh it may be. That is something you have that the girls don't. Believe it or not, your sisters do look to you for that strength. Stopping yourself from committing suicide is not easy for kids. And it's even more complicated for adults." Lynn told Lincoln.

"You know sometimes I question if my future is set in stone as I imagine?" Lincoln asked, reflecting upon his dreams.

"I want you to succeed in life too Lincoln, but you're still young, so you have plenty of years to go." Lynn Sr. said holding Lincoln close to him.

The next day, Lincoln and Lynn spent more time in the wilderness. Lynn took Lincoln on a hiking trip. When Lincoln passed a river, he caught a glance at his reflection as it transformed into his future self. It was only for a brief moment as he shook his head hard. As Dr. Lopez stated, it was all in his head. Even if Lincoln's facial expressions did not change, he was glad that Lincoln was interacting with him. Lynn could not remember the last time he ever had time alone with his son. The father mostly bounded with his daughters. Maybe it was the fact that they had little in common, but it did not stop him from trying to bond with him. Whatever it took to try to put Lincoln's mind at ease, free from stress and worry.

Throughout the trips, Lynn had told Lincoln about the Loud Family fare share of sibling rivalries, and he was not just talking about Lori and Leni, or Lola and Lana. What he said about the time one year ago was Luna, and Luan sibling rivalry had gotten the better of them. It was during a talent show where they had the worst of it. It became from a friendly competition to a cutthroat one. It even had escalated to a fight between them. Both of them were not only disqualified but also grounded by the parents. And this was before the Sister Fight Protocol. Lincoln thought Luan tended to be jealous but never thought it would be this bad.

He also told Lincoln about a time where Lynn had rotated between jobs, not only to provide for his family but to find what he wanted to pursue. There were jobs he liked, jobs he hated, jobs failed to do, and the positions he endured for the sake of his growing family. Rita had even done the same, since being a Crossing Guard was not her first line of work. She did other stuff even when she was pregnant. Like many, Rita was also unsure of her plans in life. But as time went on, she eventually found it.

It was as Dr. Lopez had stated, only time and patients can tell a person ever truly blossom. The worst a person could ever do is to give up and not try.

It was a late evening as Lynn and Lincoln got back to came sight. With the amount of fish they caught, they were in for a good dinner. However, Lynn was not planning on making something ordinary with the fish. He was doing something different as he prepared his knife, cutting board, vinegar, cucumber and a large bowl of cooked rice.

"Dad! I did not know you knew how to make Sushi." Lincoln was surprised.

"Yep, in one of my jobs, I studied with a sushi chef. He was strict but meant well. Unlike my Lasagna, sushi is more complex." Lynn Sr. kneed down a suddenly whispered. "But do me a favor and don't tell your sisters about this, you know how overly-excited that get."

Before Lincoln could question more, the session was interrupted by an incoming projectile. Lincoln was stricken by a football, causing to land face-first into the river. The patriarch rush to Lincoln's aid, seeing if there were any injuries. There was none, just mouthful of salt water that Lincoln accidentally drank. And Lincoln thought getting hit by Lynn Jr.'s football was painful.

A voice called out to Lincoln and Lynn, "Oh man, I'm so sorry about that." The two people were a tall African American man and his son. The man approach Lincoln. "You okay little man?"

"I think so," Lincoln said rubbing the pain from the back of his head.

"Hey sorry about that, I guess my son does not know his strength at times." The man apologizes again.

"There is no harm done, are you hurt son?" Lynn Sr. replied.

Lincoln shook his head.

"Quincy, didn't I tell you not to throw it too far." The man scolded his son. "Now apologize to the man."

The African American boy was around Lincoln's age, but a year younger. "I'm sorry mister." The son said to Lynn Sr.

"Don't worry about it; it's fine. I get a lot of football attacks from my sportsaholic daughter." Lynn Sr. accepted being polite.

"She seems competitive." The man said, helping out Lynn with his stuff.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it."

The man offered a handshake. "My name is Quentin Marks, and that's my son Quincy."

"Lynn Loud Sr." Lynn introduced back accepting his handshake.

While the evening was still present, Lincoln occupied the lake with a new companion. Quincy also kept Lincoln company fishing. Like Lincoln, Quincy was also an Ace Savvy lover. In most cases, Lincoln would waste no time with discussions of Ace Savvy related, but even that was not enough to sway Lincoln into a smile. Lincoln mostly just listened while Quincy talks most of the day. In the meantime, the two grown men focused on supper. With Lynn's instructions, Quentin followed the recipes. The tall man watched as the boys barely interacted with one another.

"So your spending time with your son too?" Quentin inquired.

"Yep, Lincoln and I hardly spend time with each other; I figured I use this opportunity to do so."

"You know your son there does not seem like he's having the time of his life." Quentin noticed.

"Lincoln usually not anti-social, he's just been depressed lately." Lynn Sr. eyes lowered to the ground. Quentin looked with a curious glance. "He's at a difficult time where he's questioning his worth when all his sisters have something to define them. And because of that, he feels that he will end up in a hopeless situation."

"Isn't he a bit dramatic, I mean he's still a kid?" Quentin inquires curiously.

"Yeah that's what I thought too, but he's been having recurring dreams of that homeless situation."

"I see what you mean. Man, those times we grew up were pretty difficult back then. You had to be one of the fortunate ones to have a job. Otherwise, if you had a record, it would make it even more difficult." Quentin opened a soda can. "Yeah I struggled for a while, but I was able to make it through."

"I hear that." Lynn related. Suddenly, Lynn finished the final preparations.

"I had a job for a while but as life goes not all good things don't last. So here I am unemployed while my wife is bringing home the bacon."

"Then why doesn't she bring on the ham instead?" Lynn joked a bit as Quinton found himself unamused.

Lynn cleared his throat, "It's chow time Lincoln!" Lynn called out. "Why don't you have some too, I made plenty." Lynn offered the guest.

Quentin smiled. "Awesome, thanks a lot."

On the final day, Lincoln and Lynn Sr. packed up their equipment. Lynn Sr. was almost going to miss the great outdoors; he only wishes he could say the same for Lincoln. Once again, Lincoln stayed quiet through most of the trip. He did not speak unless spoken. With how quiet Lincoln was, Lynn Sr. was starting to question if his methods work or made things worse? The last thing he wanted to do is be like his wife.

"You okay there son?" Lynn asked with a hand on Lincoln's shoulder.

"I'm fine, can't complain," Lincoln said in a normal response minus the smile. There was not one shred of moodiness in his tone. "I had a good time dad, thanks." Lincoln gave Lynn Sr. a mid-smile. It was not as bright as Luan, but he'd take that as a victory.

It made the patriarch happy inside that his son was delighted.

* * *

As next Saturday came, Lincoln stopped over his substitute teachers house. Putting on his best yard clothes, he prepared for another dreary day of work. However, to his surprise, Ms. Dimartino did not have a day of work. She pulled Lincoln's arm leading him to the backyard. There he saw the different colored chalks lying on the concrete ground.

"Today we're going to do something different Lincoln. Something to help you ease your mind."

"What, you want me to graffiti your floor?" Lincoln said with sarcasm.

Ms. Dimartino chuckle. "No silly, I want you to draw. I want you to draw whatever comes up into your mind."

"Gee I don't know." Lincoln lowered his eyes still unsure.

Ms. Dimartino sat next to Lincoln. "I know it's hard Lincoln to find that passion. But we all gotta start somewhere. You never know unless you try, no matter how much you fall."

Lincoln looked at Ms. Dimartino offering him chalk. Ms. Dimartino paid Lincoln a hopeful smile as tilted her head. Even if the confidence was not there, Lincoln stepped up. He grasped the chalk and begun drawing as his mind had expressed — one step at a time as he thought while doodling on the ground.


	16. Reality Check

Through the few minutes that passed, Lincoln did what the substitute told him to do. Lincoln still did not fully understand the purpose, but he followed along with the activity. With the chalk in his hands, Lincoln let his mind wander as he doodled on the backyard concrete. The white-haired boy allowed his creativity to speak for himself through the artwork. Often at times, Ms. Dimartino would often kick back to herself while Lincoln did was he wanted. With each check up on the middle-child, Ms. Dimartino offered him a plate of food and drink.

Within the time that passed, Ms. Dimartino suddenly witnessed the evolution of Lincoln's drawing. The sight made her spit out her coffee in shock. She observed Lincoln's drawing become from a simple sketch to fully immersed picture. It was clear that Lincoln had been working hard on the drawing from the sweat and chalk stains. And from the empty plate of food, Lincoln did not skip out on his meal.

"Uh Lincoln, have you been out here all day?" Ms. Dimartino asked.

Spellbound on the drawing, Lincoln did not respond. The lovely scratched her head on the unresponsive reaction. For the most part, he was not ignoring Ms. Dimartino on purpose; Lincoln was just fully invested in the drawing piece. It was not like a video game where all attention made to the goal; Lincoln was creating art. Dimartino watches Lincoln continued to focus on the piece. With how determined and focused Lincoln was, Ms. Dimartino doubts that an unfortunate event could even stop Lincoln. Much as the teacher wanted to watch as he progress, Lincoln's time was up. To shake the boy out of his trance, Ms. Dimartino flicked Lincoln's forehead.

The flick sent Lincoln into a slight panic as he remembered where he was. "Oh, Ms. Dimartino I didn't see you there." Lincoln glanced at the art display left on the backyard concrete. "Oh, I'm sorry about your yard."

"Don't worry about it Lincoln." She observed Lincoln's art. "I got something for you." The lovely teacher went inside. Then came out with a book and DVD movie. "This should help you along the way because like you, was also in a difficult place."

Hearing the family van, it issued Lincoln's time to go. There at the wooden gate, he saw Lynn Sr waiting for him. "You ready to go sport?" Lynn asked Lincoln.

"Mr. Loud, can I have a word with you?" Ms. Dimartino asked.

"Go wait in the car son," Lynn told Lincoln. Lynn followed the teacher to the yard. "So what's going on, did he break something else?"

The teacher shook her head. "No, it's not that, I wanted to show you this." She presented the artwork Lincoln had made. Lynn saw the well-structured and well-made detail in the artwork. Words could not correctly describe how impressed he was to hear Lincoln did such a piece.

"Let me see if I got this straight. Lincoln did all this?" Lynn inquired. "It's beautiful." Lynn did not believe it at first, but the sweat and chalk stains on Lincoln was a clear indication.

"Yes, I think your son might have something he was not even aware of, and it is just waiting to be unlocked."

"I see." Lynn continued to glance at the art.

"For right now, I would suggest letting it manifest itself. That last thing we would do now is put pressure on Lincoln's hidden potential."

"I agree, thank you, Ms. Dimartino."

* * *

It was a halfway quiet morning as the loudest sister stood in the shade. The only thing that heard was a puff of smoke. With an inhale of the Vape bottle, Luna blew out clean smoke as opposed to the dirty smoke from cigarettes. Plus, she did not have to worry about the non-smoking room. To Luna, the Vape served as a substitute as Lisa would educate her on the smoking dangers. Not that she cared anyway knowing what was already ahead of her.

The second thing that sounded was the sound of running water as her brother was in the shower. Moreover, from the strong smells of Lincoln, he needed it, maybe more than one. He could take hours in the rain for all she cared. Luna did not waste any time throwing out Lincoln's old clothes. The smell of Lincoln's old clothes was so strong that even the flies would not enjoy.

On her way back to the room, Luna accessed her phone. On Luna's contacts list, she found Mickey's number. With the time the rockstar separated from her loving son, it made her suddenly question Mickey's behavior. Even if they were apart from each other, she still felt close to him as she felt close to her brother. Without an opportunity to waste, she called him.

"Hello," said a young voice.

"Hey little guy," Luna greeted happily.

"Mom, hey!" Mickey greeted happily back. "I have was just about to call you, is this a bad time?"

"For you love, it's never a bad time." Luna smiled over the phone. "So are you being good for granny and Grandpa as well as your little aunt?"

"Yep, I'm having a good time with Aunt Lily. She's been teaching me a lot lately."

"That is a good sweetheart," Luna said.

"So how is the band going? I bet you're getting a lot of fans." Mick cheered.

Luna did not like the subject, so she lied to her teeth. "Oh, we are getting somewhere alright. It just takes time; after all Mick Swagger did not become a rock star in a day."

"Your sisters are right; you're practically an encyclopedia on him."

Knowing he was not far from the truth, Luna chuckled for a bit. "Yeah. Also, I met an old friend; however, he's not doing so well, so I'm trying to do everything I can to help him."

"Is he sick?" Mick inquired.

"No, he's just lost right now trying to find his way, but I'm doing what I can to help him, he is very dear to me." Luna started to reflect on something as she inhaled. "Mick listen to me," Luna told her son. "I want you to promise me something."

"What's that?" Mick asked curiously.

"I want you to promise me that you won't ever let anybody hurt you and I don't mean physically. No matter what, I want you to continue being the best you, you can be and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise or try to change you."

"Um, okay," Mick was confused as he responded softly.

"Promise me!" Luna cried.

"Okay, okay, I promise, gee sorry," Mick replied feeling pressured. "By the way, what about you, did you just call just to give me a lecture?"

Luna shook her head feeling ashamed for her sudden outburst. "No little dude I'm sorry." Getting herself in order, Luna paused for a few minutes. "Look; I just wanted to hear your voice. I know we have been apart for more than a few months, just wanted to see if you're doing well."

"Okay, Mom."

"I will come and see you soon kiddo, I promise. I just got to take care of a few things. I love you." Luna confessed.

"I love you too Mom," Mick concluded hanging up the phone.

"I set you a new nice pair of clothes bro. I picked it up from a nearby Salvation Army." Luna called out, getting back to her hotel room.

"Thanks, Sis," Lincoln said while in the shower. Switching gears. "So you said Lori has kids now?"

"Yep, one daughter and a son."

"Wow, imagine that." Lincoln thought. Indeed the years were ahead of him. He wondered what else he has been missing.

The running water came to an end as Lincoln grabbed a towel. Coming out of the shower, he saw the pair of clothes no different than his normal ware. He saw blue jeans, a white shirt and an orange button up top to the bottom shirt. Sure brought back old times.

"You decent in there?" Luna knocked on the door.

"Yeah come in," Lincoln answered.

"Take a seat bro," Luna ordered holding a cloth and barber kit. With her jacket off, Luna's upper self reveal some visible body ink. Tattoos posted on her shoulders to her spine. Considering how Luna embraced her lifestyle, he was not surprised. "I'm gonna give you a makeover bro."

"But…" Lincoln tried to argue.

"No buts bro," Luna cut off Lincoln. "You need this." Luna put her chin on Lincoln's shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't turn you into a girl." She teases a bit.

Luna started with the hair. Even after getting out of the shower, Lincoln's hair was still a complete mess. First, she had to get as many tangles out as possible. Should not be so hard considering how much she learned from her oldest sisters. With a comb and scissors, she started trimming and straightening Lincoln's hair. She even had to put Lincoln's hair in the wash a few times to fully get out all the tangles. Since Lincoln was homeless, personal hygiene was not exactly top priority.

After performing some serious hair surgery, Luna focused on Lincoln's face. Armed with shaving cream and razors, she intended to shave his facial hairs, but this time the right way. She took careful strokes at a time to avoid any injury. When the final stroke went through, Luna applied some after-shave to her hands. Upon contact, it sent Lincoln's body intenseness, it was one of the many prices to shaving, but Lincoln dealt with the pain.

"All done," Luna concluded presenting a mirror. "You look like a whole new man."

As Lincoln's vision was clear, he glanced at a cleaner version of himself as hair was cut short and face shaved nicely. Despite his situation, Lincoln honestly did feel like a new person.

"Your quite the natural barber Luna." Lincoln complimented.

"Aw, thanks, little bro," Luna replied flattered by the compliment. She embraces Lincoln from behind as their cheeks touched. Lincoln touched Luna's arm as missing his sister's loving embrace after all these years.

"How about we get some breakfast bro?"

Lincoln spent nearly ten minutes looking at the menu as him and Luna sat down at a restaurant. He debated the list of things eat that he hadn't eaten in a long time. Even his stomach was getting impatient as it started to turn into a knot. It was not begging for food, it was demanding it.

"Go right ahead bro and order whatever you want, I'll just put it on my credit card." Luna had insisted.

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked shyly, not wanting to feel like a burden.

"Don't worry about bro; I mean it." Luna gave Lincoln a smile of less worry.

It almost felt like old times as Lincoln and Luna stuffed themselves at the restaurant. They went through more than one plate as if it was a buffet. Since it was just the two of them, they did not have to worry about fighting among others, because when it came to food in the Loud House, it was a World War III. Lincoln needed a lot of it to fill his empty stomach.

While engaged in filling his empty stomach, Lincoln started to choke on a bite. Luna got up off her seat to help Lincoln ease it down. She handed him a cup of water.

"Take it, easy bro, I know you're hungry, but you must not eat so fast," Luna warned rubbing Lincoln's back.

"Sorry; it's been a while since I had something fresh. I was mostly eating out of the trashcan." Lincoln coughs for a bit. "Guess Lana's influence rubbed off on me."

"The only difference is she did it freely. You did you when you were homeless." Luna correct Lincoln.

She was right. Lincoln recall the times where Lana would eat out of the trash. Even the most rotten food was no match for her strong stomach system. Sometimes Lincoln question if Lana was superhuman. But that is not to say that the old foods would have some massive after effects at times. He could only wonder if her habit still was contagious.

After some coughs, Lincoln took another sip of orange juice. "So are you and Lori the only ones with kids?"

"Nope, Luan has a two-year-old daughter. It seems like she and Benny were inseparable from high school to college. Then after that, they got hitched." Luna answered eating a sausage. "Mom and dad are thrilled to have grandchildren if only they can meet their loving uncle."

Even if Lincoln was not at an old age, he was going to get used to being called uncle. If his sisters can get used to being called aunt, then maybe he can be used to being addressed as an uncle.

While breakfast was still in session, Lincoln and Luna remember more of old times. Times of the family band to the time of the Smooch concert and the times they always jammed out freely. With their friendly jam sessions, it would still wake the whole neighborhood to their parent's dismay. The parents usually would not mind, but at the same time, they needed to consider the neighbors. Just very reminder was enough to bring a sincere smile on Lincoln's face. If only that happiness could last. The more he looked at the outside world, the more it reminded him of his standing. He could only wonder what terrible fate would like ahead of him.

"By the way, was that Chunk's van you were driving?" Lincoln asked just now noticing.

"Yeah, he gave it to me a while back. Unfortunately, Chunk had to retire due to a serious health problem, something about lung cancer, yet we still keep in touch even if I had to ask him to bail me out a few times." Luna said as the powerful reminder made her tilt her eyelids. Luna grasped her coffee pondering a different subject. With what Lincoln has been through, she was not sure if she wanted to hear another sad story considering they did not have social adult lives.

"Lincoln…" Luna took noticed and pause for a second. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Huh?" Lincoln replied confused.

"We can go on the road together bro. You can become my new roadie." Luna suggested. "Besides I need someone to drive me."

Lincoln lifted his eyebrow in question as if he was asking a question.

Luna scratches her head while red with embarrassment. "My license is... suspended." Luna shamefully admitted. "I got a DUI years ago."

"With all of mom's driving violations, it's amazing how they did not suspend her license." Lincoln lied back on the seat.

"Yeah tell me about it, freaking lucky." Luna agrees with Lincoln.

Lincoln and Luna were silent for a couple of minutes. Both debate the next conversation as Luna held her coffee and Lincoln picked at his scrambled eggs. With how long it has been, it was hard even to think what to do next. They had a lot of catching up to do.

In the meantime, Luna showed Lincoln photos of her son. In the same brunette hairstyle and wearing a bandana, he was the spitting image of his rockin mother. By Mick's short appearance, he was the twin's age. The little guy was fortunate to have such an excellent mother and rockstar. From times, he was born to being able to walk and being old enough for preschool. It was clear as a single mother; Luna did not ignore her job from the happy pictures. She also showed pictures of Lori and Bobby's lovely kids. The blond Hispanic was the oldest by ten years, while the boy was around Mick's age.

As they traveled on the downtime streets, Luna explained more what has been happening when Lincoln was not around. She told Lincoln the time she formed the band with her friends to the time they made it on their first tour. And Lincoln had shared stories about the bad choices he made before being homeless. At the very least, Lincoln was just glad to be with his sister. It brought back many memories the two siblings share from their childhood to their young adult years. It almost made Lincoln forget about his standing, but at the same time, it did not stop the unfortunate coughing. Luna asks about it, only for Lincoln to deny, yet she thought otherwise.

The effects of the coughs had escalated. Lincoln's body was starting to go on shutdown. The vision began to fade, and muscle density was getting weak from every step of the way. No matter how much Lincoln tried to mask his coughs, Luna could see pass his act. Luna may not have been a doctor, but she knew that this recurring coughing was not frequent among young folks. Concern for her brother grew as she saw the blood on Lincoln's hands and Lincoln fainted to the concrete.

"Lincoln, Lincoln!" Luna called out catching her fallen brother. Lincoln's eyes were barely conscious. He felt his existence fading from every second. Luna was in a state of panic as Lincoln had collapsed. Tears drenched from her eyes as she kept calling out to her brother. "Breathe bro, breathe slowly Lincoln. Hang on Lincoln, hang on."

Nearly ten to forty minutes, Lincoln has escorted safety to the hospital. Stress overwhelmed the rockstar sister as Lincoln was in this condition. Still, she was relieved that Lincoln was safe. Any moment more, and she felt that Lincoln life would have been in critical. With the amount of blood she witnessed on Lincoln, she was only starting to fear the worst as she held her skull.

Soon enough the doctor came back from the operating room, yet it was to see another person. She saw a person on a stretcher bandaged like a mummy. Just the very sight made Luna queasy. Even if she knew others in the hospital were in worst condition, Luna was getting impatient. Just before she was able to step up, the doctor came out for her.

"So Doc, how is Lincoln?" Luna asked with intense stress.

"You were fortunate to have brought him in the hospital when you did, but so far your brother in stable and resting." The doctor assured.

"So do you think I can see him?" Luna asked.

"Of course, right this way." The doctor led the rockstar.

When Luna made it to the room, she glanced at her brother sleeping peacefully. Even as an adult Luna thought, Lincoln was so cute when he was asleep. That was beside the point as Luna found Lincoln under the breath machine attached to his nose. It was refreshing to have her brother by her side even if it was on unfortunate circumstances. The more she looked at Lincoln bedridden, the more she felt like crying.

Lincoln opened his eyes slowly. "Luna is that you?" Lincoln moaned holding his hand.

"Yeah bro, I'm here." Luna sniffles are grasping Lincoln hand. "I can't believe you have been suffering like this the whole time."

Lincoln felt empathy as his sister shred tears for him. It made him almost forget the reason why he cut himself off from his family. Lincoln guessed it only took a lot of running just for him to crash into a brick wall finally. Now Lincoln was feeling the biggest fool on earth.

"I don't know what to do Luna. It's too late for me."

Luna wiped a tear from her eye. "Bro, it's never too late to press the reset button. Even convicts deserve a second chance in life." Luna grasped Lincoln's hand tighter. "You don't have to be lost anymore. You can come on tour with me and my band, please, I miss you."

"You think I have a second chance?"

"Only you can decide that bro, not just for yourself, but for your family sake. You don't have to be like this anymore."

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we are going to have to keep your brother for tonight, maybe even more than a couple of days. Now it's time to get some test done." The nurse interrupted the two siblings.

"Anyway, think about it, bro." Luna let go of Lincoln rose up from the chair. Leaving the hospital room, Luna took a last glance of Lincoln before the doors closed. As she walked away, Luna started to access her contacts. "I think it's about time I got you reacquainted with the family."

* * *

Eyesight was blurry as the sun rays appeared on Lincoln's face. He was back in his bedroom but did not have morning sickness this time. Nevertheless, Lincoln was feeling a headache, or it could have been from hitting his head on his bed rail. The pain only worsens as he heard noise pounding into his skull. Lincoln could faintly hear the door opened and his sister calling to him.

"Lincoln; what are you doing on the floor bro?" Luna inquired.

"Oh, Luna it's you, what are you doing here?"

"Dad told me to check up on you and give you this." Luna gave Lincoln bottle water and two antidepressant pills. "Are you alright bro?"

"I guess so, can't complaint." Lincoln swallowed his pills and drank the water.

"You are having that dream again when you're homeless and alone?"

Lincoln took a deep sigh and nodded. "Yeah, but it does not seem to be as bad I before."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked with concern and a serious face. Lincoln nodded again. "Remember we are here if you need anything bro. hopefully, mom does not do any more damage to you then she already has." Luna said putting on scowl as she remembered the horrible display. Like the others, she also held animosity towards Rita. "Well, I got to go, try not to push yourself too hard bro." Luna left right before giving Lincoln few pats on the back.

"Come on Lily hold still," Rita said struggling with the little infant. "I need to change your diaper. Come on Lily."

Hostility was still among the mother as the youngest fought over the mother's grip. Lily may have been a months old, but her mind was able to pick up Rita's outburst, therefore, placing fear in her heart. Now she was beginning to be fussy at this time. With every ounce of strength she had, the infant fought against the mother's grip as if she was being held captive.

As Rita continued to persist, Lynn Sr arrived through the front door. Just about any moment, Lily was ready to cry. Lynn rushed to his child's aid before Lily could crack. He finished up with the diaper change, and Lily was happy again.

Rita fell on the couch in exhaustion. "That's just great. Even Lily is mad at me." Rita scoffed.

"Honey, we need to talk." Lynn Sr. sat down beside his wife.

"Yeah, what else is new? Something I haven't done yet." Rita boasted in irony, feeling bad enough.

"Honey it's not just you alright," Lynn stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I got through with speaking with Dr. Lopez, and it's not just you that is the problem. You did not fail Lincoln, we did." Lynn confessed. Rita glanced at her husband in question. "Don't you see, we gave our daughters so much praise and attention that we did not even consider how Lincoln felt."

"This kind of thing never bothered Lincoln before. As far as I see, Lincoln has always been supportive of his sister's." Rita replied with her eyes to the ground.

"Even so, he is a kid. And kids have their limits on how much they can support their siblings ambitious. It must be too much pressure on him feeling overshadowed. I mean can you even remember the last time we fully acknowledged him for something?"

Both parents drew blanks in their minds. Then again, there was the time during the football, only to find out he was lying. Rita was starting to see the big picture as her methods prove to be more destructive than helpful. The real reminder made the mother feel worst of her misdeeds. Not only her only son was angry at her, but the daughters were on the same page. Lynn was neutral at the moment, but at the same time, he could not blame his children. When Rita offered her help or even tried to talk to the girls, they were quick to turn their backs. Also if Rita was not the perfect parent, never did Rita ever imagine that she would do something to cause hostility among her children.

"I thought taking away Lincoln's belongings of anything that is sharp or potentially dangerous would keep him from attempting suicide, but I guess I only made it worse."

"Well I won't lie when I say you were over exaggerating, but Lincoln is not Mitchell." Lynn placed both hands on his wife's shoulders. "When our children were born, we both agreed that we would never play favorites, but I guess that ship has sailed long ago."

"So how is Lincoln now?"

"Fine so far, he's opening up now, yet he is not smiling as much. I was not sure if my methods were going to work." Lynn kneed down to Rita's level. "Look I know you meant well, but maybe you should stand down a bit. That last thing I want Lincoln to do is to hate you."

"Becky that is hilarious, I mean how did?" Lori while talking on the phone, paused at the sight of Rita. "Hang on Becky, let's talk elsewhere." Heading out the door, Lori gave the mother a sour look.

"And hopefully mend the ties with your daughters." Lynn reminded. After that display, he would certainly hate to be on his kid's discomfort list. If any, he'd be crying non-stop.

Later through the day at the Chortle Portal, Luan occupied herself by preparing for her next comedy act. Since winning, she had to make for an encore performance. However, Luan's attention was not entirely on her next action as she reflected the other day. Luan and the other girls watched as Rita screamed at Lincoln with full force. Luan's attention then shifted to the immense laughter. There must have been a joke she missed as her curiosity was peaked. Luan stumbled across a group of girls laughing at a phone video.

"Hey, what's everyone laughing at?" Luan asked the girls.

"Hey, Luan check out this stinker from weeks ago." A girl told the comedian.

Luan's eyes widened when the video revealed to be Lincoln. She witnessed her brother displaying the worst comedy ever seen. It was not even comedy that was so bad it was good. It was so bad that even babies would not find him amusing. Soon after the fifth line, the boos were coming on full blast. Second thing Lincoln knew, food projectiles flew his way. Luan's heart poured for her brother sake as he was performing poorly. Lincoln may have been humiliated before, but not this bad.

No matter how much boos blasted at him, Lincoln still tried on the comedy acts. It only took minutes before security has escorted off stage and out of the building. Now all Lincoln needed was to be chased by an angry mob to make his day even more hectic.

The girls continued to laugh at Lincoln's humiliating display. "Wow, what a stinker!"

"I'm so leaving a comment on this video, maybe a garbage emoji." Another girl added.

"No, I got it, how about a poop emoji to sum up his performances." The third girl said covering up her nose, leading to laughter.

"Hey Luan, you know this white-haired weirdo?" The girl asked.

"That white-haired weirdo is my little brother!" Luan viciously shot back, knocking the phone from the girl's hands.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem Luan, we are just having a good laugh. It's not our fault your brother performed like a dork!"

Anger levels rose as the young comedian grabbed the teasers by the shirt. At any moment, she was ready to strike. Before another thought could occur, one of the couch came in. "Is there a problem ladies?" He asked. Trying to avoid getting caught, Luan quickly let go of the girl. "Okay girls break it up, go prepare yourselves for your acts. Luan, can I have a word with you?"

Luan nodded going to the couch.

"Whoa yikes, that is rough." The couch looked at the online video of Lincoln's performance. "Look, I know you were defending your brother, but that is no excuse to start fights with people. Considering that you are one of the runner-ups, I'm going to let you off with a warning, but if this happens again, then I'm going to have to disqualify you, understand."

Luan nodded silently. Luan took a calm to breathe as the situation overwhelmed her. When she got home, she was going to have words with Lincoln.

* * *

"You have one hour to complete your test everybody, so please do your best." Ms. Dimartino announced, still keeping her role as a substitute. As Dimartino walked pass Lincoln, the teacher gave Lincoln a wink of good luck.

With a deep breathe and eyes on the paper, Lincoln concentrated on his test. It was just him and the article. Not one thought from depression, nor his beautiful teacher occurred in his mind. Now that Lincoln's depression had ease thanks to his father, Lincoln did not find himself moody, but that is not to say he had recovered. Lincoln had to shake his head a few times to keep himself sane, but it did not impact him majorly. Dimartino was not the only one on had her eyes on Lincoln, but Ronnie Anne did the same while working on her test.

After the last answer was filled and with time to spare, Lincoln had finished. He inhales presented his test to the teacher. No smile was present on Lincoln's face, but the substitute teacher was able to see the determination by his face. She could almost see the calm aura surrounding the boy.

"Splendid Lincoln, you may go now." Ms. Dimartino said. As Lincoln walked out of the classroom, Ronnie Anne gave a silent wave. "Keep your eyes on your own paper Santiago."

As the former bully was working on her test, she caught a glimpse of one of Lincoln's papers. It was a little doodle Lincoln did on his free time after completely with his exam. Ronnie Anne was quite amazed to see how a little sketch was so uniquely detailed. It contained his favorite hero and a new villain. At least that is what Ronnie Anne picked up since it was still in the sketching stage. When she observed the picture, it started to give her an idea.

"Off to your next Birthday gig sweetheart, I bet you are going to knock their socks off." Lynn noticed the comedian daughter, heading out the door.

"Yeah, but I guess I'm doing this one solo since the others are out," Luan replied.

"Why not take Lincoln? I'm sure he can use the excitement." Lynn suggested. Before Lincoln could protest, Lynn cut him off. "Go help your sister Lincoln, don't worry about it, alright."

"Try to keep up Lincoln," Luan said, sounding a bit bitter.

It was the usual day as Lincoln assisted his sister. Once again the middle-child was in charge if the comedy products, Luan was the main lead of the performance. Quietly and motionlessly, Lincoln watched his sister entertain the little kids with her act. It was as if she was on stage performing at a live concert. He could see her great potential future. With the smile Luan had displayed, it almost made the middle-child very envious.

However, Lincoln started to wonder about his sister sudden mood change. From the minute she was her typical happy self; next, she is acting cold. From what he saw, it was not just at Rita, though this was also the other girls, he was on her angry list. Luan may have been happy most of the time, yet even she had her limits. Luan loudly cleared her throat indicating that next performance. Paying attention to the task at hand, Lincoln quickly tossed the pie, thus once again cheering over the encore. As expected from the loudest comedian, Lincoln took a stoic sign.

As the party came to a close, it became more awkward between them. Luan and Lincoln walked silently home. Lincoln thought if he should say something to cheer up Luan possibly, yet the words would not come out. He did not know what was on his sister's mind at the moment. So Lincoln decided to start with something small. "Once again, you killed it with your act Luan." Lincoln complimented his sister.

Luan came to a halt as Lincoln bumped into her. "Lincoln; do you hate it that much?"

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"Do you hate being in our shadow that much that you resort to doing something so foolish?" Luan was getting irate.

"What are you talking about?" Lincoln was still confused. Luan showed Lincoln a video of his comedy failure. The act was so bad that even Lincoln did not want to look at it. The last thing he wanted was a constant reminder of his failures. "You mean that."

"You used to be so supportive, and now here you are acting all moody and for what, just because you don't have many trophies."

"Yeah well there, thanks for reminding me what a failure I am and what winners you girls are. I bet the crowd is bowing at your feet now."

"Lincoln!"

"Maybe I am just the black sheep of the freaking family!"

Luan got so fed up with Lincoln rants that it caused her to do the unthinkable. Within an instant, she raised her hand a gave her brother a hard slap on the face. The attack had silenced Lincoln as he did not know the proper words to say out of this outcome. Nevertheless, Luan had finally got his attention. "You don't seem to give yourself enough credit now and days, do you Lincoln?" Luan stated with a sob in her voice.

"Gee thanks."

"That was not a compliment. You think just because you don't have trophies like us makes you a loser?"

"It's not about the trophies Luan!" Lincoln countered. "It's the fact that I never been praised by mom and dad that much." Luan widens her eyes. "And when you stand on the sidelines so much in your life, it makes you crave so much to be something. I bet you would not know how it feels."

Luan frown turns into a sympathetic face. Luan dropped her comedy props and embraced Lincoln. "Of course I do Lincoln, more ways than you ever imagine. Like the others, I struggled with being inferiority, but I did not let it consume me this much. You can find your talent too. You don't have to try to prove your worth by humiliating yourself, and I don't want to see my brother heavily ridiculed like that, please promise me."

"Alright, Luan I promise."Lincoln embraced his sister back and concluded.

* * *

That night after dinner, Lincoln lied quietly to himself. He spent the next few hours staring at the stars through his bedroom window. Throughout the night skies, the boy wondered how peaceful the night stars was, floating in the air without a care. Sometimes Lincoln wished he was one of those stars.

Among his thoughts, Lincoln reflected what Luan had said. He never thought Luan would take his personally of his failures, and he had the mark on his face to prove it. For the most part, Lincoln did not deny that he let his pride and jealousy consume him to the point where he tried to be like his sisters. Just the memory made him feel pathetic Lincoln's head fell on his pillow, he caught sight of his favorite hero poster. Lincoln's comics got confiscated, but not his in-room decorations. Throughout the reads of Ace Savvy comics, Lincoln remembered how this hero would fight for justice even against extreme odds.

Suddenly, Lincoln then pulled out a notebook and pencil. On the blank line sheet of paper, Lincoln started to construct a piece. Within his fingertips, he rotated his hand back and forth working on the drawing. For the next few minutes, it began from unknown lines and evolved into something specific. As Ms. Dimartino said, Lincoln drew whatever was on his mind. He did not have a general idea at first, for now, Lincoln let his mind wander. And thus with every line that form, Lincoln's mind started to ease.


	17. One step at a time

**A/N: Well after Hero Today and Driving Ambition, I had to write this.**

* * *

It had been an hour since the Loudest rockstar's last hospital visit. The more Luna watched as her homeless brother was bedridden, the more her heart to tremble. At the very least, the doctor assured her that Lincoln tested negative for any cancer disease, but he was still going to have to stay in the hospital for more than forty-eight hours, due to Lincoln frail health. Nonetheless, Luna worried that it might be something worse, looking through Lincoln's window.

After Luna's Vape break, the rocker accessed her list of contacts. Every number of her huge family, she started calling them one by one. Even now, Luna was still processing the situation of Lincoln, yet tried to maintain a cool head. After puffing out the last smoke, Luna called the oldest. With several tones, she hoped that the oldest would answer, now that Lori was a full independence woman.

"I hope you're able to answer your phone is," Luna muttered to herself, waiting for the oldest to pick up.

Meanwhile elsewhere, the oldest was in the final scene of the Golf match. There the oldest now in the thirties stood on the center field along with her oldest daughter as a caddy. Quietness maintains in the area as Lori hole of the game. With deep calming breaths and stretches, Lori prepared her final shot. Within the last swing, the ball rotated angled before it arrived in the hole. The crowd let out loud cheers after the victory. Bobby and the son rushed over for the celebration of the round.

"You did it, mom," The daughter cheered.

"No, we did it, Gloria," Lori held her oldest daughter in her hands.

"Mom, you got a call," the son reminded Lori handed Lori the phone.

"Hello," Lori answered. "Luna is that you?"

"WHAT!" Lori screamed, nearly disrupting the golf course. The shocking news caused Lori to drop her phone. As she noticed the stares of the people at the golf course, Lori lowered her voice picking up her phone. "Are you serious, you found Lincoln?" Lori whispered over the phone.

"Yeah sis I did, Lincoln has been homeless." Luna answered in a calm manner.

"Hold on! What do you mean homeless?" Lori demanded, still trying to grasp the situation.

"Look, sis, it's a long story, but I need to come here and get the word out to the others. Please, Lincoln needs us?" Luna pleaded.

Lori's mind was in circles right now but tried to be cool about it. Lori took a breather. "Alright Luna, I will do that."

It was mid-afternoon as the loudest comedian spent nearly all day working on new material. Unfortunately, however writer's block was in effect, and not a lot of people were able to buy into her new routines. Luan had a pile of rejection letters to prove it. Things were not how they used to be when she was a child. Luan rested on her chair reflecting on the good old days of her family photo, back when she was a hit to both kids and adults.

When a call came to her phone, she answered with excitement in her tone. "Hello, Vincent so did you get my performance, because I would love to." Luan suddenly paused as she heard some bad news. "Oh I see, no it's okay thank you." Luan hung p the phone, collapsing the desk in dejection.

"Honey I'm home." Adult Benny called out. As he arrived, he saw the comedian, lying on the desk. He did not need to be an expert to know what was really on her mind. "Uh-oh, I take it you had another rejection call again."

"Yeah, Vincent just called to tell me that he took a pass on my performance. It seems like the Asian community got offended by that sushi joke I made weeks ago."

"Cheer up dear; I'm sure something will come up." Benny placed his hand on Luan's back.

"I feel bad for you working these overtime shifts just for me."

"I don't mind Luan. I got to provide for my family after all." Benny happily responded.

"That's not the point Benny! I feel like I am leaving all the work to you, while I am just chasing after a dream." Luan shot back. Luan glanced at her two-year-old daughter napping peacefully. Luckily, the daughter was a heavy sleeper, not to hear Luan's outburst. "I'm sorry Benny; I want to be able to smile for Laura sake. I miss the days where everyone was able to smile, not just me."

"You'll find something Luan; you just have to try harder, and don't worry about me."

"I can sure use some refreshing news right now." Luan sat in silence before her phone vibrated. As she picked it up, it was not another talent agent. It was Luna. "Hey what's up old roomie, it's been a while?" Luan laughed to herself after hearing the news, but then realize the dead-silence on the phone. "Oh wait, you're serious. Lincoln is what? No, no, no, of course, yeah I'll be there."

"What is it?" Benny examined Luan's reaction.

"Benny, we need to head somewhere. We are going to visit an old sibling."

"Your designs are amazing Ms. Loud."

"Thank you, Mrs. Walters, with my design ideas and Carlota skills; it is tots taking the world by storm, which is funny because I don't see a storm yet." Leni replied happily.

Somewhere else, the second oldest was also living her dream. Leni had turned her fashion hobby turned into a full-on career. Agencies and studios were at Leni's beck and call. The more ideas Leni produced, the more successful she became. She was a fashion machine.

"Please turn off all handheld devices during the show," Leni said to her coworkers, hearing phone vibrate. "Oh wait, that is my phone. I thought I put it on silent." Leni grabbed her phone. "Hey Lori, how are the wife and kids?" Leni greeted. "Yeah, I mean husband and kids." Leni corrected herself. Like the others, Leni's tone filled with shock over the news. She did not know what to make of the situation either. "No, no, I understand, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Word began to travel fast to the other Loud children. While the Loud young scientist was usually the calm and collected one, even Lisa reacted to the hysterically to the news. The shocking news leads Lisa to drop her test tubes, therefore causing an explosion through the university campus. Luckily, however, the chemicals in the cells were not toxic. Even if months research was ruin, it was the least of Lisa's concern right now

While the goth was usually the quiet one, it leads to a long gasp, sending her lungs rising. It almost made her exasperate. It was a rare occasion for the goth ever to get emotional. Nevertheless, Lucy maintained a cool head from this. Usually, Lucy was used to death and despair, but not on her sibling as she shared the others worry and concern. Like the others, the dark one complied to the wishes of her siblings.

Throughout somewhere else, the twins lived out their dreams. Lana's mechanical abilities were taken to the next level as well, and so is Lola's Beauty Pageant. After graduating from a tech university, Lana skills took her from local mechanical shops to advance cars, while still maintaining her plumbing skills. Lola, on the other hand, was on top of the world with a beauty pageant, turning from a runner up to a worldwide winner, and even couched young little girls in a beauty pageant. In many people's eye, Lola was now a pageant queen among many. When the call came into Lola, her first guess is that Luna needed some bail money. However, when Lola heard about Lincoln resurfacing, she immediately accepted to visit her brother. Despite her busy schedule, Lola never forgot her priorities to her family.

For the second tomboy, it took Lynn Jr. three hours to pick up her phone after her Olympic tryouts. Rushing with blood pumping and sweat, Lynn picked up her cellphone expecting a sponsor or better yet an agent. That emotion shifted from disappointment to disbelief as Lynn Jr. overheard the update on Lincoln. The athlete threw out a beam of questions, yet it was too much for Lori to answer even if the information she gathered. Still, with that very info, Lynn promised that she would come.

On a typical day at the mall, the youngest loud ( now a fully grown teenager) rested her feet. Alongside her, the nephew sat with a cone of ice cream. While Luna was not around Lily was always in charge of looking after Mick, which Lily did not mind as well as her other nieces and nephews.

"You ready to hit up the arcade Mick?" Lily inquired.

"I sure am Aunt Lily," Mickey replied to the young aunt.

Before their departure from the bench, Lily received a call. "Hey, there sis, what's up?"

"Hey there Lily, listen this might be sudden, but I need you and bring Mick. I found Lincoln." Luna explained.

Lily dropped her ice cream in shock. "What! Did you say you found Lincoln? He's been missing for years."

"Yeah I know Lily, he has been homeless, look it's hard to explain on the phone, but I assure you that Lincoln is alive. Since I got a court date coming up, I don't have to much time. I already informed mom and dad, so get here as soon as possible. I'll text you the address."

"Sure thing is, I got it." Lily hung up the phone. Lily turned her attention to her nephew. "Change of plans Mick, we are going to see your mom, and my brother."

"YAY!" Mick cheered.

* * *

The mother of the Loud's arrived home after a long day of work. Within sight range, she saw one of the kids. While glad to see them, neither of the girls shared the same thoughts. They wasted no time walking away silently from Rita. As far as the loud children were a concern, Rita was a ghost to them. It was that the hostility was still there. Even if Rita did not do any wrong to the girls, they sure felt impacted.

It was another day as this tension went on. And Lincoln must travel more distance than the girls. Rita felt she was losing more than the love of her children. Going into the basement, Rita went behind the washing machine. Nobody, but Lynn Sr. knew about the secret hiding place. Within a brick appeared a small box. Inside the box contain a large photo of memories between Rita and her brother. From every smiling picture, Rita viewed, the two of them were a siblings team.

As she shut her eyes, Rita had been brought back to twenty-four years ago. It was an age where she and Mitchell were sweet sixteen. Mitchell would always wake up early with so much energy, while Rita was bedridden. When you are famous and the star of a team, happiness was all over his face. Rita, nor Albert could never understand Mitchell's energy but supported him. He was like a little kid excited for a theme park.

"Come on sis; we don't want to be late for school." Mitchell rushed Rita, banging on the bathroom door. "Just how long it takes for you to put on your makeup."

"Seriously, I don't understand you sometime." Rita came out cranky, still wearing her ugly bedhead.

"The team isn't going wait forever for me to score," Mitchell replied happily, holding his football. "Heads up!" Mitchell gave his football a quick toss. Rita did not see it coming as she flinched, yet she caught the football.

"Yeah well let's see how long that enthusiasm last."

"Come on sis, you know I'm unstoppable," Mitchell said, giving Rita some playful jabs as Rita block the attacks.

"I know your determined Mitchell, but I don't want you getting careless out there. There are other teams out there better than you."

Mitchell wrapped his arm around Rita's shoulder. "Gee you sound just like mom. If so they better be ready for the Wave-Runner aka me." Mitchell and Rita laughed together through the morning.

The memory ended as Rita heard someone call her name. Behind her, Lynn Sr. stood. It only took a millisecond to noticed the box of memories in Rita's hands. Even if Lynn Sr. felt the girls anger, the other side felt remorse for his wife. If all, he wanted Rita to make up with Lincoln as he did.

"I don't know what to do Lynn. Lincoln won't even talk to me."

"You have to start somewhere Rita, but you have to let it go, for Lincoln's sake," Lynn said. "There is also something you need to see." Lynn Sr. handed his wife a tablet of one of Lisa's invention.

Like Lynn Sr, the mother grasp in horror of the situation that befallen her future son. Inside the tablet contain the middle child's imperfect nature. She watched as the adult middle child's suffered through homeless. It was a dog eat dog world. No matter how much they told themselves, it was just a dream. Still, it made the depression very clear among the parents. Now Rita felt worst then she already has.

The very sight of Lincoln all alone in the harsh streets with barely anything made Rita sick inside. With each horrible view, it made Rita's heart pound. If this was Lincoln's future, Rita doesn't think she could live with herself. If all this had to be an adult's nightmare, let alone a parent. Worst came to worst, Rita and Lynn hate even to imagine themselves in that situation.

Not bearing the sight longer, Rita tossed the tablet away. Rita held her forehead as she tried to catch her breath.

"Honey calm down, it's just a dream," Lynn assured.

"I know but, I." Rita paused. "What in the right mind could make Lincoln imagine himself in that?"

"From what I gathered from Lisa, it seems like Lincoln fears he might not have the talent to benefit his future, so he fears this is his destiny, and all of our praise and attention did not make it better. While I admit that I wish Lincoln would be more like his sisters, I don't want him to suffer inside because of his inferiority."

"What have I done?" Rita sobbed. "All this time, I was trying to prevent Lincoln from suicide, but instead I was increasing it."

Lynn Sr. shook his head. "As I said before, it's not just you; we are both at fault."

"But you did not scream at him or take his stuff away."

"Rita, we will think of something." When he heard her sob inside, Lynn comforted his wife by wrapping his arm over her shoulder.

Minutes turn to hours in the Loud House as Lincoln secluded himself in his bedroom. With a pencil in his hand and swallowing pills, he worked more on the sketch. It was just the demo phase as the middle children have not thoroughly thought out his creation, so improvising was in order. However, Lincoln did not stop even if the plan was not carefully thought-out. Lincoln did not even hear the footsteps outside the bedroom door as his mind was focused elsewhere.

Concern had grown with the loud sisters as they stood by Lincoln's bedroom door. All ten sisters had their ears pressed to the door. Each of them talked silently, debating Lincoln's situation. They only hope that Lincoln was not doing self-harm. The sounds were faint, but neither of them was able to make out what Lincoln was doing.

As the athletic sister patients were wearing thin, she rose up. "That's it; I'm going in, cover me, guys!" Lynn Jr exclaimed. Lynn charged with full-speed, determined to break the door down. Before Lynn could make contact at the door, the young jock found herself flat on the floor.

Seeing the jock on the floor, Lincoln held the door open. The middle-child did not even ask as he stepped over the sister. The other sisters stare with confusion if not worry. Still, at least, Lincoln did not have a face of misery. Both parties did not respond to each other. The sisters did not know whether to question Lincoln or not.

"Hey Lynn did you enjoy your trip," Luan cracked a joke. "Get it?" The lame joke leads to everyone's groans. Lincoln walked away silently.

"You ready for school buddy?" Lynn Sr. asked Lincoln.

"Yep," Lincoln responded blankly.

"Wait downstairs; I just got to have a word with the girls." Lincoln nodded. "And remember to take your pills."

"Dad, how is Lincoln?" Lori was the first to ask of the concern ten.

"He's fine girls, one step at a time," Lynn answered they proceeded to the main announcement. "Look, girls, as you grow and start to achieve more than you already have, your mother and I are always going to be proud of you. Both of us do not doubt that those unique gifts are going to get you far in the future." Lynn paused. "Anyway, when we had a big family we knew sibling rivalries was going to play a big part in this ordeal. With how things are now, we are going to ease up on the praise and attention."

"I don't get dad; this kind of stuff never bothered Lincoln before," Lori stated.

"Yeah I know, but certain people have limitations. You all want to help Lincoln do you?"

The ten girls all nodded in reply.

"Then you all can do your part by supporting him, and try not to remind him too much of your accomplishments, that goes double for you Lynn Jr." The father gave the jock a displeasure face.

"Come on; I don't rub my victory in people's faces, right guys?" Lynn replied. The others turned their heads the other direction as they did not respond to Lynn's statement, indicating otherwise. "Well, not all the time," Lynn said while blushing.

"That's good, and don't worry about your mother, I can assure you her methods will not be needed in helping Lincoln, yet try not to be too hard on her." Just from the name, all the girls put on a frown. "Look, I'm not saying you girls should not fight ever, but I don't want it escalating to the point of another Sister Fight Protocol, your mother and I don't need that stress than we already have. Do you understand?"

The girls nodded again.

"How are you feeling buddy?" Lynn Sr. asked Lincoln throughout the car ride.

"I'm good I guess," Lincoln responded with zero happiness.

Not holding back on the news, "You know Ms. Dimartino told me something interesting the other day."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that. What I mean if you were doing something very creative." Lynn showed a picture Lincoln drew at Ms. Dimartino. It contained Lincoln being at the bottom of a mountain while the sisters were at the top. It was like the sisters were first place and he was dead-last. "That was quite a picture you drew."

"It's nothing special, Ms. Dimartino just said draw whatever comes to mind, and I did, something to ease my stress."

"Is it helping?" Lynn probed.

"Well, at least it's giving me something to do." Even with the compliment, Lynn paid Lincoln; the boy did not sound enthusiastic. "Do you think I'm a hopeless dad?"

"I think you're not giving yourself enough credit son. By the drawing, you have more positive traits then you realize, but you're letting doubt and inferiority get the best of you." Lynn advised as they stopped at the school. "Deep inside, I'm sure there is a passion waiting to awaken, but only if you let it. Think about it alright." Lynn reminded Lincoln handing him one of Lincoln's drawings.

"Okay," Lincoln replied leaving the car.

"Have a good day at school kiddo." Lynn Sr. waved to Lincoln.

* * *

Within the afternoon, the former bully made her way to the Loud House. Although it was not the first time she been to Lincoln's home, it felt like a long time. Ronnie took a look at the small pamphlet from her sweater. Hopefully, the sisters weren't around to harass her and Lincoln. Approaching the front door, the Hispanic took a breath as the front door and ranged the doorbell.

When the front door opened, the first to greet the young Hispanic was patriarch. "Well hello, Ronnie Anne."

"Hi, Mr. Loud." Ronnie Anne greeted back.

"You must be here to see Lincoln; he is out back, goes say hi to him."

"Great thanks," Ronnie paused for a minute. "Hey, by any chance, is his sisters home?" Ronnie Anne cautiously asked.

"Nope, they are out at the mall, while Rita is at work; it's just him and me here."

As the former bully ventured into the backyard, she saw Lincoln working peacefully on a drawing. The way Lincoln looked at his picture with a calm, peaceful expression. It was like Lincoln was not even in his world. As the pencil moved, he let his creativity speak for itself. The way Lincoln was distracted, Ronnie Anne silently made her way towards Lincoln. Before Ronnie Anne could deliver her playful jab to Lincoln, the attack had been, intercepted, to her surprise, Lincoln blocked Ronnie Anne's incoming jab with his notebook, much to the Hispanic surprise.

"Hey, Ronnie Anne." Lincoln greeted with his back was turned. "It did not take me long just to figure out you were here."

"So how's it going Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne greeted nervously, trying to avoid getting on Lincoln's wrong side.

Lincoln's eyes still focused on his work. "Pretty well I guess."

To confirm her suspicions, Ronnie took a small peek over Lincoln's shoulders. There she had witnessed to Lincoln's talent unfold, constructing a piece of art. Lincoln did not bother with distractions, not even with Ronnie Anne hanging over his shoulders. Lincoln was literally in his world. To say Ronnie Anne was surprised was an understatement. The little girl did not feel like she was watching Lincoln with curious and envy.

After a couple of minutes, the art piece was complete. Lincoln took a deep breath and relaxed in his chair.

"This is beautiful Lincoln." Ronnie took a look at the drawing and was amazed by Lincoln's creativity.

"It was nothing."

"What do you mean it is nothing?" Ronnie Anew shot back. "You created art Lincoln!" She suddenly pulled out a pamphlet from her pocket. "I thought you might be interested in this. My aunt Frida is coming into town this Saturday for a college lecture on art, so I thought maybe we go together. Mom and Bobby both have work, so they can't go."

Lincoln took a moment to skim through the pen flick. One thought wanted to decline; another side was a little fascinated. Then again, what would he have to lose, after Dr. Lopez did suggest Lincoln open his mind to new things? Was not going to get anywhere by mooring around.

"Sure why not I'll go." Lincoln accepted.

"Awesome."

"Hey, kids, I made some refreshments." Lynn came out with two cut sandwiches and chips. "Feel like staying for lunch Ronnie Anne?"

"I'd love to, thanks, Mr. Loud."

* * *

Saturday was around the corner as the day came for Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. The two of them went into Royal Woods University a place of higher learning for adults and young adults. In this vast campus, all futures built upon this school. Since she has been here before with Bobby and her mother, Ronnie Anne knew the layout of the university. Ronnie held Lincoln's arm with determination as Lincoln wondered with curiosity. Lincoln's mind was not just with interest in the school, but the poetical opportunities held here.

Lincoln's thoughts were put to rest as they made it to the scheduled classroom. Luckily the seating chart was not in effect, since the presentation was only optional for students, while others stay for further learning. Still, they weren't the only kids there as many ranges from teens to adults.

When the little hand turned and then lights dim, it was time for the presentation. As the silence occurred, a Hispanic woman made her way to the stage. Wearing two bracelets, green and pink dress and long black hair, the Hispanic made her opening announcement.

"Good evening everyone, my name is Frida Casagrande, and I'm here to take you on a journey into the wondrous world of art." The Hispanic woman announced.

The presentation begins with a few lectures on coloring, not just the basics but the different shades of colors between blending, mixtures, light and dark variety. Lincoln was so used to the primary crayon colors that he was not aware there was more than one; this Lincoln's mind had opened.

The next lecture explored was on different line structures. It started as little sizes of shapes. It may have seemed pretty simple like Kindergarten stuff, but went I to detail that little kids might not comprehend. It was the essentials to create a picture. Nevertheless, Lincoln followed the lesson. Since Lincoln had performed the drawings himself, he had some understanding.

After that, Frida educated on the final stage of art, the art itself. Some may have thought a picture was just a paper and pen, yet Frida assured it was much more complicated. She explained that many techniques could tell certain emotions. Frida wasted no time on education of art and even showed some out her in personal work, which drew Lincoln's attention more.

The more explanations given, the more Lincoln was invested, much to Ronnie Anne's surprise. As she had observed, Lincoln would not take his eyes off the instructor. It was like his mind was opening up.

When the hour lecture came to a close, Ronnie Anne took Lincoln backstage. Fortunately, for them, they were able to fight the crowd of students asking questions.

"Aunt Frida," Ronnie Anne exclaimed.

The woman turns happily to see her niece. "Ronnie Anne, it is wonderful to see you again." Frida spare no expense hugging Ronnie Anne, not caring if it was making the former bully embarrassed. "I'm so glad you could show up to my lecture."

"Good to see you too Aunt Frida." Ronnie Anne broke away from the hug.

"I see you brought someone." Frida caught Lincoln within sight, not hiding from her gaze any longer. Lincoln gave a slight nervous wave. "So is he your boyfriend?" Frida inquired with a small tease.

"No, he's not! He's not my boyfriend!" Ronnie Anne shot back with a blush. Even if Ronnie knew her aunt was joking, she was getting tired of the boyfriend wisecracks.

"Hello Lincoln, I'm am Ronnie Anne's aunt, Frida Casagrande." Frida introduces with a handshake.

"Hello, I'm Lincoln Loud." Lincoln introduce back.

"Mom and Bobby could not make it due to work, so I bring a friend," Ronnie said. "Plus, he has been going through some things," Ronnie whispered to her aunt.

"Oh I see," Frida responded. Frida walk to Lincoln kneed to ground level. "Well, I think it is wonderful that you have an interest in art, and from what I heard from Ronnie Anne, you have the skills to prove it."

"You think so?" Lincoln asked with curiosity.

"I know you so. Art isn't just something you scribble on paper; it also is expressed in whether it's on paper or a painting." Frida told Lincoln. "You just gotta have your visual perspective Lincoln; let your mind be free."

"Let my mind be free?" Lincoln repeated.

Frida nodded her head. "Try not to think too hard about it; after all, you are still young, so let it flow for now."

"Thanks, Ms. Casagrande."

"Hey Ronnie Anne," Frida went back to the Hispanic little girl. "Hey I know your mother and Bobby is always busy with work, but you should consider seeing the family again sometime, we miss you. Give others my regards."

"Okay," Ronnie said back.

"My dad should be picking me up by now." Lincoln walked off checking his watch.

"So what did you think?" Ronnie inquired.

"It was enlightening, thanks for taking me, Ronnie Anne." Lincoln turned his face to see the kindest smile. The smile alone was enough to make Ronnie blush more inside. Not one ounce of depression was present at the moment. It may not have been any romantic interest, but she did find Lincoln's kind nature to be charming. As Vanzilla pulled up in the school driveway, Lincoln went inside, saying goodbye to Ronnie Anne. Ronnie Anne waved back not taking her eyes off of Lincoln.

* * *

After another day of summer school came to a close, Lincoln waited for the Vanzilla to pull up. Now that some of his depression ease, he was able to focus on school regularly, and even helped Ronnie Anne with most of her assignments. Hoping to be his dad or sisters, Lincoln scowled at his mother now being the driver. The very sight made Lincoln's insides crawl.

"Hey sweetie it looks like your riding with me now." Rita greeted putting on her best smile.

"What are you doing here Rita?" Lincoln asked, still angry.

Lincoln was not convinced as he already turned his head and started walking away. Rita could easily tell Lincoln was still angry from the silent response. Rita drove following Lincoln. "Come on Lincoln, come take a ride, home is a mile away." Lincoln scoffed as he continues to ignore her walking. It did not stop the matriarch from pursuing him like a predator. "I'm also going to the store, and I can use a strong man to help me carry the groceries, please."

"No thanks Rita," Lincoln declined but did not stop the mother from trying.

Rita was then caught by an angry yell and a honking horn, now realizing that a car was in front of her. Hadn't been for the horn, Rita would have crashed on impact. "Hey watch where you're going; what are you an idiot!" The angry driver called out.

"Sorry, sorry," Rita said to the driver.

Lincoln gave up a frustrating but hopeless groan. The middle-child conceded as he stepped into the vehicle. Even if he was angry, he certainly did not wish the worse upon his mother. "Just drive!" Lincoln demanded to grit his teeth.

It only took fifteen to twenty minutes to get from the school to the grocery store. They stopped at the same grocery store Lincoln, and his sisters were kicked out. Hopefully, there was not still any bad blood, knowing how strict the manager was. The car ride was just as Rita had anticipated, Lincoln being silent the whole trip through. He just stared blankly at the window, avoiding Rita's gaze or just pretending she is not even there. By the uninterested, Lincoln only wanted to get the day over with, nothing more, nothing less.

As Rita dispatched Lincoln to get a basket, the mother pondered into her mind of how to make things right. When Lincoln grabbed a cart, he stumbled across the same homeless person from weeks ago. There the homeless man sat sadden and defeated, asking for some change. Within that instant, Lincoln imagined himself as that homeless person. It was all coming back to him freezing in place, paralyzed with fear and anxiety.

"Come on Lincoln, why don't we pick out your favorite cereal." Rita quickly pulled the boy away from the homeless person. She noticed the reaction on Lincoln, seeing that Lincoln has not fully recovered, it was concerning, but restrained from being overbearing.

"You again! I thought I kicked you out of my store." The store manager called out to Lincoln.

"It's okay, he's with me, I'll make sure he does not get into any mischief," Rita promised the manager.

"Oh really, how do I know he's not going to plan shenanigans like the last person in my business."

"If you want to run a business truly how about you do something about that homeless person up front. I don't appreciate him being there to scare my son!" Rita shot back at the manager, grabbing him by the collar as if she was going to fight, even got Lincoln's attention.

Hearing the news again, the manager left Rita and Lincoln. "What again? Where is my push broom?"

Quietness still took the two of them as the grocery shop together. With how much tension that was going on between them, Rita would hardly call herself a mother anymore. Rita pushed the basket while Lincoln grabs the items that were on the list. No matter how much Rita wanted to break the cycle of silences, felt like any word she spat out would be nothing but a justifiable excuse. Still, with every moment wasted, Rita felt Lincoln was drifting further away from her.

This situation needed to be fixing as Rita thought to herself. Here goes nothing as the mother spoke a word. "Did you enjoy your time with your father?" Rita asked, stopping Lincoln. "I bet you must have wanted so badly to get away from your dictator mother."

"Dad told me about your brother," Lincoln replied as Rita also stopped at her tracks. Just the thought of Mitchell, nearly made her queasy inside. At least Lincoln was talking to her now. "I thought you were an only child."

"I have been the past twenty years Lincoln," Rita said with remorse in her tone. "It's more complicated than that. Can I get a bouquet?" Rita asked the cashier.

On the third stop, Rita and Lincoln arrived at the Royal Wood cemetery. This depressing place typically is Lucy's hangout spot, but she was out at a poetry club right now. Holding the flowers for his mother, Lincoln followed Rita through the land of the deceased.

"Here he is a son; I like you to meet your uncle, Mitchell." Rita introduced the tombstone labeled, Mitchell Thomas.

"Your brother seems like a nice guy." Lincoln looked at the early picture of Rita and her brother Mitchell in their teenage days. The way the siblings hung onto to each other, they were inseparable.

"He was a nice guy, loved life to the fullest, and much like you, he was creative and ambitions. Whether it was his family or friends, he loved making people happy. Then when that injury happened, his life fell apart. He felt like his life was over because he was not able to do what he loved anymore. No longer was Mitchell the kind and passionate guy anymore. Mitchell became so angry and bitter that eventually destroyed himself inside." Rita could still remember the day she was crying her eyes out at the funeral while Albert held her tight.

"I wish I met you, uncle Mitchell." Lincoln talked to the grave.

Not worrying about Lincoln's reaction, Rita held her son close to her. "Your sister may talk about death like it's nothing at all, but experiencing it is a whole nother story," Rita explained. "You see Lincoln, a loss of someone can't just make you feel sad, it can make you feel a lot of things. It can make you feel regretful or even angry."

"Were you angry when Uncle Mitchell past on?"

"Yeah, I was furious, so angry that I cursed the heavens asking why did they take him away from us."

"You miss him do you?"

"Everyday Lincoln, each year I come here to give him flowers. Still, I do wish I could have saved him; but nothing I can do anymore. If only he were here to meet his nephew and nieces, you guys would like him." Rita turned Lincoln to face her. Lincoln saw the face of regret and remorse. "Lincoln, I know this does not change everything I did, but I wanted you to understand. I let my overbearing nature and paranoia take me over. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Will you forgive your mother?"

"Does this mean I am grounded anymore?" Lincoln query with caution.

"Only if you promise me one thing. No matter how bad things look, you will always keep your head up and never give in to this despair, because as you grow old, you'll realize how much of a scary place the world can be. Lori is growing up, and even she realizes that," Rita said.

"I promise mom." Lincoln put his hand on Rita's shoulder.

"Don't think that means I'm going to stop watching your back; after all, I am your mother."

"I would not have it any other way." Lincoln leaned in allowing his mother to hug Lincoln. "I love you, mom."

Just hearing Lincoln address her usually brought tears to Rita's eyes as she embraced him. Holding her son into her arms brought great joy and peace to Rita's heart. "I love you too sweetie," Rita replied weeping inside and kissing Lincoln's forehead.

Throughout the pleasant evening, Rita continued to share stories of Mitchell. Stories of good, bad, and funny moments of Rita's dearest brother. With an arm around Lincoln's shoulder, the middle-child listen with an eased open mind, no longer uncomfortable with the mother. Together the mother and the son shared this precious moment under the sunset.


	18. Getting the mind together

**A/N: The story will be reaching its conclusion around chapter twenty or above**

* * *

"Excellent work Lincoln, you made excellent progress on your grades." Ms. Dimartino complimented handing Lincoln's report card.

"Thank you, Ms. Dimartino," he replied taking the paper.

Ms. Dimartino grasped his hand, "You should be proud; keep up the good work," Ms. Dimartino said encouraging the boy. "Cheer up okay."

"Okay," Lincoln nodded in reply.

While wondering the campus of the last week of summer school, Lincoln came across a distraction from his thoughts. He overheard some girls gossiping about someone, which at first he paid no mind to until Ronnie Anne's name mentioned.

"Hey look it's savage Santiago," One girl mocked, one of the names Ronnie Anne were referred.

"Yeah, what a primate?" Another girl added to the mockery.

"I wonder what jungle did she emigrate from," The third girl stated.

"Yeah she is always getting free passes," The first girl said.

The mock-fest continued much to Ronnie Anne's annoyance and sadness. The more bad names that thrown, the more she clenched the locker. Anger level only rose further as her lost father got mentioned. Ronnie Anne knew her father was not perfect but did not deserve to get ridiculed. One part of her mind just about ready to break one of the girl's teeth. Lincoln could not stand it going on as he decided to step in.

"Hey knock it off will you!" Lincoln exclaimed to the girls.

"What did you say?" The girl shot back.

"I said leave her alone!" Lincoln exclaimed to the girls. "You don't know her! And just because she is tough, does not mean she does not have problems!"

Both Ronnie Anne and the girl teasers were in shock over Lincoln's outburst. The girls took a calming sign and walked away. "Whatever this is lame anyway. See you never Santiago, when your bird-poop head boyfriend is not there to save you."

Lincoln grabbed Ronnie Anne's shoulder. From the tenseness and heavy breathing, it became clear that this Santiago anger went on overload. "Come on Ronnie Anne, let's head outside to cool off, by the looks of it, you looked like you were about to give one of those girls a bloody nose."

"Fine," Ronnie Anne took a calming breath.

Lincoln used the most utmost caution on Ronnie Anne. By her silence response, it would seem that her anger has not left her. Now Lincoln became the on in tricky territory. He only hopes his attempts don't get caught by Ronnie Anne's right hook.

"Those damn jerks!" Ronnie Anne clenched her fist as she kicked down the school trash can.

"You should not let them get under your skin, I mean I've been called worse, but you don't see me hurting anybody for it." Lincoln tried to reason with Ronnie Anne.

"That's not the point Lincoln; it seems like every opportunity that comes around; it's always got to mention him." Ronnie Anne eyes started to water through her angry expression.

"You mean your father?" Lincoln handed Ronnie Anne a tissue. After wiping her tears, Ronnie Anne blew her nose, while still having her back turned. "Look, Ronnie Anne, I know this may sound hypocritical coming from me since I am working progress but try to cheer up, okay."

"I'll try, but no promises,' she conceded.

* * *

After another of school has passed, Lincoln took a detour not ready for home yet. Even if everything may have seen okay, much was still on his mind. On the outside, healthy may have noticed, yet the inside lied deep sadness. Lincoln needed some fresh air too. At least something to take his mind off of his sisters and his recurring dreams.

Lincoln's first destination took him to the Royal Woods museum. Inside, Lincoln looked at the different art pieces displayed on the walls. As Frida Casagrande told him that "art can express a lot of emotions," yet Lincoln did not see it. He looked at the art displays with the blank expression he held through the weeks. The multiple colors and abstract pictures were not exactly self-explanatory. Then again, the pictures did paint something in his head, reminding him of the art he drew.

The second quest took him to the Royal Woods library. Inside the quiet zone, Lincoln glance through different books of graphic art, through comics and manga. Within the pages, Lincoln scanned the art detail pages. Lincoln knew that he knew comics often, but started to look at it from a different perspective view. Lincoln spent the next few hours glancing as each picture told a story about the book.

On the third stop in the late afternoon, Lincoln's walk took him to the Burp-N-Burger, Lincoln stumbled across the same homeless man from the other day. By his new location, Lincoln guesses that the homeless man got kicked out of the grocery store. Just like the other day, the homeless man held the same sad, miserable expression. It was the look that all hope was lost. Just like in his dreams, people pass the man as if he was a filthy disease. Even if Lincoln is not homeless, the middle-child felt sympathy for the man. Lincoln could not take his eyes off of him.

"Can I get a second order please?" Lincoln requested.

After getting shot down for the second time, the homeless man took an annoyed and sad sigh. Lincoln offered the man a bag of food. "I figured you might be hungry."

"Oh thank you, young man," The homeless man smiled gratefully receiving the meal as if he'd received gold.

The homeless man wasted no time savoring the juiciness of the burger. He munched on the giant burger and fries as Lincoln watched. Knowing how meals came and went for homeless Lincoln could not blame the man. After the fifth bite, the man started to cough. Lincoln hurried as he pounded the man's back. Then the homeless man consumed his soda cup.

"Easy pal, you should not eat so fast," Lincoln said helping the man, the sitting next to him.

The homeless person cleared his throat, wiping the ketchup from his mouth. "Sorry, when you don't eat for more than two days, you lose it." The man replied.

"So how'd you end up like this, if you don't mind me asking?" Lincoln inquired to the man.

Taking a break from his meal, the homeless man turned his attention to Lincoln. "You see that building right ahead of you." The man pointed to the right of two buildings. One had a bank, and the other was a liquor store. In between the two was an electronics store. "That used to be mine; I used to own a video store called Cinema Corner, where people would often come down to buy and rent videos and even movie accessories."

Lincoln got intrigued, "Really, so what happened?"

The man held his head down, "Times change, VHS became DVDs, and online piracy ran the market."

"Did you like your job?" Lincoln asked.

"I loved my job, talking to customers, watching their satisfied looks on their faces after watching a good movie, sometimes negative, getting new film releases, and enjoying the afternoon to nightly flicks. It lasted for a while." The man told Lincoln. "Then when hard times came, the business was not the same, no matter how much others convince me, I was stubborn, mainly because that video store was my life. My wife and soon my daughter wanted me to sell, but I was not about to give it up so easily. Over time, I lost my savings, my house, and my family."

"How do you lose a family?"

"Different ideology," He said, making Lincoln raise a confused eyebrow. "You know when coming home with a report card? With every progress, they expect great things, only to lead to great disappointment. No matter how much you try, every day is always a D or F., and that's what I always came to my family with."

"What happened after that?"

"My wife and daughter moved to their grandparent's house in Delaware, while I stood behind like a fool, determined to rebuild what I lost until eventually, I had to face the hard reality. Now entering my tenth year as a homeless." The man sadly continued. "I haven't seen my family ever since."

Remembering all the dreams, Lincoln started to grasp the idea. Even if Lincoln was not homeless, his heart poured out to the man.

* * *

Rita day of work came to an end as she stopped by the store. Like Lincoln, the mother had a lot on her mind. Some still on her deceased brother, other on Lincoln. While it may seem like Lincoln had forgiven her for her actions, Rita did not feel like she got fully forgiven. At the least, Lincoln stopped calling his mother by her first name, and they were talking again.

Unfortunately, however, it did not change the fact that her daughters still did not trust her. When exiting the car, Rita came across some drawings Lincoln did on his downtime. Judging from what Lynn Sr. told her the other day, Lincoln indeed had something, just was not fully aware yet. Even she was amazed by her detailed, and structured Lincoln's drawing looked. At any rate, also if Lynn Sr. told her to stand down, Rita still desired to help her son out of this dark place.

As Rita made grabbed the final material, she stumbled across a junior artist set, ranging from teens to young adults. Through the glance Rita wondered one side held hope, other hand stood cautions. The matriarch did not want to put any more pressure on her son than before, only wanted the best to support her son.

On the ride, Rita stopped by the cemetery paying her respects to Mitchell. With her on her knees, Rita watched her brother's grave as the flowers blew in the wind. Rita started to flash back to another memory of her brother.

The small house burst with a scream as it not only echoed the house but the whole neighborhood. By the way, how disturbing the cry sounded, they think someone was under attack. The teenage surfer jock ran pass Albert getting his morning coffee.

"Watch out dad, there is a bloodthirsty monster on the loose, and does it look mean!" Mitchell quickly informed, making the father raise a confused eyebrow.

"Come back here you little twerp so that I can turn you into a human pretzel!" Teenage Rita screamed chasing down her brother. Hair and makeup got drenched that she looked like plastic surgery went wrong. "God! You are so immature; you know that!"

"Can I get cheese with that?" Mitchell joked running away.

"Did he do the classic cold bucket of water prank on you?" Albert asked, trying to hold in the laughter.

"Worst dad, he used hot water," Rita said.

"Well, you got to admire his creative ambition," Albert commented.

"Who side are you on dad?" Rita exclaimed.

"Easy; the side of the champ." Mitchell mocked his sister.

"You won't be the champ for long once I'm through with turning you inside out punk!" Rita continued to chase Mitchell.

"It looks they are at it again. Should we do something about those kids?" Albert's wife asked, not surprised.

"Nah, I'm sure they will be fine," Albert said, watching his two children mess around.

"Get back here!" Teenage Rita screamed.

"I should have guessed I'd find you here." Albert came from behind, ending the flashback.

"Hey Dad," Rita greeted.

Albert took a seat next to his daughter. "Lynn told me everything," Albert stated. "Rita, you can't keep blaming yourself for Mitchell. What happened was just a twist of fate; I don't think any of us could have saved him."

Rita held onto both shoulders. "I wish I could have saved Mitchell, dad. Despite the way Mitchell would annoy me, we were still close."

"Oh yeah, he was quite the character; his bright smile became enough to make anyone's day. You remember that time when your mother accidentally tossed your favorite doll in the trash and Mitchell spent hours in the dumps trying to find it."

That memory made Rita chuckle, "Yeah, you and mom would not let him in the house for hours because of the smell."

"I'll bet if he were alive today, the kids would love their fun-loving uncle," Albert said, happily.

"Yeah they would," Rita smiled for a bit.

"So how is Lincoln doing?" Albert asked, not avoiding the subject.

"He is fine, slowly but steady."

"I'm glad, I've been worried about him with the whole depression issue, but I've always loved the kid whether he had the special skills like his sisters or the trophies."

"The trophies aren't the issue dad, all the times we praise the girls, guess Lincoln felt left out. I still can't remember the last time we acknowledge Lincoln for his accomplishments." Rita clarified. "I don't want Lincoln going around thinking that just because our daughters have many achievements means we love him any less. We love all of our children equally."

"Then be there for him Rita, not as a friend or coach, but as his mother." Albert placed both hands on Rita's shoulders. "Show he his much more than a someone who is always on the sidelines."

"I'll try dad, even with the ways things are now, I'll have to tread carefully."

* * *

"Sorry Boo-boo bear that I have to cancel our date so suddenly, I know we had it planned for a while." Lori talked on the phone.

"No worries babe, it's clear that you need to take care of your brother right now, but the option still stands if you want me to take Lincoln out sometime," Bobby replied being supportive.

"Thanks, boo-boo bear, I love you," Lori smiled.

It was nearly dark as the street lights came on when Lincoln made it to the front door. As Lori hung up the phone, she spotted her brother.

"Hey Lincoln, how was your day?" Lori greeted.

"Oh just the usual sis, nothing special," Lincoln said back with a hidden frown.

"By the way, Lincoln did you remember to take your pills this morning?" Lori reminded.

Knowing Lincoln dislike the antidepressants, he knew he had to take it to keep himself sane. Just the reminder made cringe inside. "Yeah, I did." Lincoln then looked at the trophy case, seeing something different. "Did Lynn just win a new trophy?"

"Yeah, she won the junior league softball ball a week ago."

Lincoln gave an annoyed scoff, "Of course she has."

"Don't worry; we told her to tone down on the gloating," Lori assured. Lincoln's eyes still sank to the ground. "What's a matter Lincoln?"

"It's nothing, Lori."

"Come on Lincoln, talk to me." Lori insisted.

Lincoln say down on the table. "It's just; with all you guys achievements, I guess it just makes me feel that you don't need me anymore."

Lori sat beside Lincoln. "Lincoln, we are all going to face our fair share of obstacles in the future. Don't think that just because we are good at something does now mean our futures are guaranteed."

Lincoln head continues to sink.

Lori used one hand covered Lincoln's hand, used the other over his shoulder. "Despite your faults, we never looked down on you. And even if we grow apart, we will always need you, now and forever."

"Really?"

Lori nodded. "Yeah, just like we need each other, we are family after all. I know it's hard but try to be open-minded."

"I'll try Lori," Lincoln said with minimum confidence.

That late night, Lincoln decided to take a look at the movie Ms. Dimartino gave him. From what he heard, the film was quite inspiring. Lincoln watched as the single father and child struggled through the harsh world to the point where both characters were alone and homeless. Even with the stakes against them, the father continued to strive for a better life with him and his son. Judging from the dreams, Lincoln had, he would hate to be in such a place with his child.

Lincoln did not cry, but the movie did pull at his heartstrings.

"Hey Lincoln, what are you watching?" Luan said.

"Just a movie that Ms. Dimartino gave me," Lincoln answered.

Soon after twenty minutes of viewing, Luan joined Lincoln in the visualization. It begins to pull at Luan's heartstrings. It spoke to her physically and emotionally. Each moment of the movie, the two loud siblings got emotionally invested in the father and son. They routed for them to succeed no matter what obstacle toss their way. It was a difficult journey for both of them, yet in the end, they managed to achieve with tears. Lincoln and Luan watched with happiness as the two of them headed off through the sunset together.

"Lincoln, I'm sorry for hitting you the other day, but I did mean what I said," Luan explained. Lincoln turn towards Luan. "You hurt me when you called me annoying. You made it feel like I was ashamed to be myself."

"Oh I'm sorry," Lincoln felt terrible.

"This depression of yours is not only affecting everyone mostly me, knowing that you are normally more optimistic. I know depression is not something to be cured automatically, but I can't stand you being this way. And so help me, I want to see you smile again, no fakes, a real genuine smile. I don't want to see you ridiculed badly like that again even if it is for a good or funny cause. Do you understand?" Luan explained.

"I understand," Lincoln said, hearing Luan out.

Luan kneed down to face Lincoln, "Just please don't ever make yourself look bad for the sake of proving something."

Lincoln made it to his bedroom; he found a big piece of cardboard wrapped in a set piece. Lincoln looked at it to see an art piece set armed with big chunks of paper, paint brushes, and an art stand. Lincoln held questions marks in his head wondering where it came.

"I hope you like the set Lincoln," Rita greeted at Lincoln's front door.

"Mom, you got this?" Lincoln questions, confused on occasion.

"Yep, I bought it for you Lincoln."

"Look I already forgave you mom."

"I did not get it as an apology Lincoln; I got it for you as an opportunity for you." Rita sat by her son.

"What do you mean?"

Rita set one of Lincoln's drawings down. "You may think you have nothing compared to your sisters, but I would hardly call this no talent."

"Oh this, I just did it out of boredom and because Ms. Dimartino told me to draw whatever is on my mind," Lincoln said.

"You know I never won anything awards or trophies either when I was the girl's age," Rita confessed.

"Really," Lincoln looks up.

"Yeah, mainly because your father and I always motivated them to do the things I never tried it," Rita said, showing Lincoln his drawing. "But you know what I see in this drawing," Rita paused. "I see this as a potential that is waiting to be unlocked."

Lincoln was still was unsure with his head down.

"Look, sweetie, I don't expect you to get to it right away, but just whenever you're ready, no pressure." Rita put her on Lincoln's shoulder. Rita gave Lincoln a forehead kiss as she left. Feeling tired, Lincoln shut his eyes as rest led to sleep.

* * *

With hands in her pockets, Luna puffed out smoke outside the hospital grounds. Luna chilled on the bench staring motionlessly at the migrating clouds. Different thoughts circled the rockstar's brain of her brother and her previous life. She knew her brother had a rough experience, but never this rough.

After talking to her siblings, even they were confused about the situation, let alone what to make of it. The fact the Lincoln had been alive if not we'll be more than a relief for the family no matter how shock they were.

Putting her mind at ease, Luna pulled out her phone. Luna scroll through the early memories of her best friend Sam, scrolling through the pictures from her teenage graduation, to college days, and finally founding her first band. She watched as she and Sam were so close that they were almost a pair. They were good times and nearly made her smile, yet it did not last forever.

Luna looked up Sam's contact number. It remained on her phone. She stared at it for more than five minutes, debating what to do. One thought came to mind to call Sam, however, given the rough history, Luna hesitated. Would Sam even answer her or could the number had changed or would it be possible that Sam blocked Luna's number? If all were the above, then the rockstar knew how much she screwed up.

Luna slowly tapped the call button. When the call went to a few answer tones, Luna cleared her throat, trying to sound presentable.

"Hello," Sam answered.

"Hey Sam," Luna greeted with nervous hesitation.

"Lunes, Lunes, is that you?" Sam said back with shock.

"Yeah Sam it's me, is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all, I'm just surprised that you called," Sam hesitated a bit. "It's been a while."

Like Lincoln, it's been years since the two of them heard from each other. Well at least Sam is still talking to her, Luna was at least glad Sam did not immediately hang up the phone, then again Sam did not seem like the type to hold a grudge for so long. "So how has everything been for you?" Luna asked trying to be friendly.

"Pretty well, we've been getting by with one gig after another, and you?"

Luna did not seem too happy on the question with her life's ups and downs, "Oh they are coming and going, not to mention I found out that my brother is alive and has been homeless all this time."

"Oh my god, is he okay?" Sam asked with worry.

"He's fine, just in the hospital. I don't know all the details, but he's had a stroke of bad luck to end up like this. And also, I was also feeling nostalgic about what I once had. I miss jamming with you guys."

"I miss jamming with you to Lunes. We were something big back then," Sam smiled, feeling nostalgic.

"Either way, I thought maybe we could relive those times together and start something fresh and new, something bigger and better." Luna offered.

"I'd love that Lunes, but it does not seem easy right now," Sam stated.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked confusedly.

Sam took a deep sigh. "What I mean Luna is that forgiving is one thing, but no matter how long it's been I can't forget the fact of how you acted in the past. We kicked you out for a reason. You let your ego get the better of you." Luna remembered all too well, which made her sad. "You let your band manager cheat us out of our most of our profits while you got the glory, you made important decisions without consulting us, you were even intoxicated during most auditions and even at a show. You even took my car for a joyride and almost wrecked it while drunk. No matter how much I told you to get help, you never seem to make an effort for your problem."

Just the reminder made Luna's head hurt and feel more guilty inside, "I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm trying to change."

"That's the thing, Luna. Even now I don't know if I can truly believe what you're saying or not." Sam sharply replied. "And with your recent arrest, it does not exactly speak wonders on your behalf." Luna was about to ask until Sam interrupted. "Yeah, Chunk told me everything. I guess what I'm saying is I'm going to need more than just your word these days."

"I understand," Luna said shamefully.

"I don't want you just to tell me you've changed, I want you to show me, and you can do that by dropping your band manager and getting some help, not just for yourself, but for your son and me."

"Yeah," Luna understood.

"Nevertheless, it was good hearing from you again Lunes. And in time, I hope we can reform what we lost. The Luna Eclipse is not the same without you." Sam had paused. "I hope Lincoln gets better, until next time we meet," Sam concluded.

"Yeah I hope so too, thank you." Luna hung up her phone.

As the loudest rocker, visited her little brother's room, Luna found Lincoln napping peacefully. As always even as an adult, Lincoln seem so adorable when he slept through the day. One new sight Luna saw is Lincoln under a breathing machine for most patients with lung problems. She hoped it was nothing too severe as she glanced at her fallen brother.

"Oh you are here," The Doctor came behind Luna.

"Hey doc, how is my brother?" Luna inquired.

"Doing fine, but we also have to keep him here for another week or two. We detected a blood clot in his body."

Luna got horrified as she knew what Blood Clot is. "How bad is it?"

"Given his situation as a homeless, this is very common among them, but with time and treatment, I assure you it will go away." The doctor informed. The doctor placed his hand on Luna's shoulder. "Don't worry; we are confident he will be fine."

Luna sat down beside her fallen brother and held his hand. "Bro, if you can hear me in there, please be strong," Luna whispered.

While much was on her mind, Luna's biggest concern lied with her brother. Luna then started singing softly in an old lullaby. An old song that Luna sang to baby Lincoln to stop crying and her youngest siblings. Even at the age of 30, Luna maintained that calming medley. She also sang it for her son once to help him sleep. Lincoln may no longer have been the eleven years old anymore, but Luna hoped her song would guide him since he was not the only person in that dark abyss.

When the brain lied awake through the night, Lincoln could not take his eyes off the art-set. Lincoln stared at the set blankly for a bit, not knowing what to do next. Then again, Rita's words still roamed around his head about hidden potential, so it could not hurt. At this point, anything was better than him feeling sorry for himself. When an ideal image came into Lincoln's mind, he grasped the artset and started working. Little did he know, one of his siblings took a quick peek through his door.

The twins quickly retreated to the elder siblings room where they held their Sibling Meeting. After giving the full report, the sister's minds were made up on what they needed to do.

"Alright girls, for our brother's sake, I think it's time we step up our game," Lori announced. "Operation cheer Lincoln up is on the go!"


	19. Finding his talent

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, after months of writers block and busy work schedule, I finally managed to come around the story. Next one will be the last as well as an epilogue**

* * *

Days have turned into weeks as middle-child focused on his artwork. Lincoln started to find himself less bored as he received his materials. Soon as the pencil was in his hand, the boy let his creativity take over. Whatever popped into his mind, he constructed it on paper. And thanks to Rita getting him an artist kit, there was no shortage of paper. Sure, Lincoln may have had a few blocks, but did not let that stop the ambition.

Still worried about his condition, the members of the Loud household would do routine check-ups on Lincoln. At the least, they were glad that Lincoln did not was not moping around anymore, let alone attempting anything dangerous. Nevertheless, the family was far from curing his depression, yet every step had counted. So long as Lincoln focused on his productive activity, they dared not bothered him. The last thing the household wanted was to put pressure on Lincoln.

"Lincoln! Dad says dinner is ready," Lola walked in. Lincoln did not answer as his eyes focused on his artwork. "Lincoln!" Lola shouted in Lincoln's ear, breaking out of his trance.

"Oh Lola, it's you, what is it?" Lincoln inquired, just now noticing his little sister.

"Dinner is ready Lincoln, dad ordered Chinese Takeout," Lola reminded him.

"Oh I'm not hungry Lola, just a little busy, you guys can have my share," Lincoln declined, still focused on his piece.

Lola took a sigh, "I'll just tell dad to save yours for tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lola," Lincoln replied.

As Lola went to the door, the little princess found herself looking back at Lincoln with a worried expression. Lincoln could immediately sense it as he turned to face Lola. He rose from his seat touched Lola's head, giving his sister the tiniest assuring smile. "I'll be fine little sis, don't worry about me."

"Will you play with me when you are all better, Linky?" Lola asked innocently.

"Of course I will, I promised," He said making a pinky swear, which was one of the agreements he promised to his sisters.

"Are you still jealous of us Linky?" Lola held her head down, hesitating on the question.

The question was a sensitive subject as Lincoln did not answer. Lola could already read his silent expression.

"It's alright; I don't blame you, probably be the same way if I always been outshined."

With both hands on the princess's shoulders, Lincoln replied, "Don't worry about it too much Lola.."

* * *

Lincoln made it through his final week of summer school. Once again, Ms. Dimartino happily gave him a passing grade, now that all of his assignments were made up. No longer Lincoln felt left behind as he was set to move onto the next class. Lincoln's time with Ronnie Anne even started to increase, helping each other get through the school day.

"Lincoln, is your weekend free?" Ms. Dimartino inquired.

"No, it isn't, why," Lincoln curiously asked.

"I'd like you to assist me with something, as a personal favor if you don't mind," Ms. Dimartino urged Lincoln with a wink.

"Okay, sure thing."

When school came to a close, Lincoln took a detour home. He went from looking at art at the museum to checking out painted ones on the walls. Even if they weren't legal, the paintings still had very nice details. Lincoln looked with fascination at the many pieces displayed. With what Lincoln had worked on, he wondered what could be missing.

Still, whoever done the art Lincoln respected their creativity. Most of the graffiti reminded Lincoln of a story from his Ace Savvy comics where the heroes faced off with a paint villain.

As suggested by his mother, the middle-child went to visit Pop-pop, since he missed out on him coming to the house. The elderly man regular face turned into a grin, excited to see Lincoln. Too bad the feeling was not mutual on Lincoln as he still felt saddened, even in Albert's embrace.

"What? No hug from your old man," Albert said.

"Sorry Pop-pop, I guess I have not been feeling like myself lately," Lincoln sadly replied.

"Lincoln; Rita and Lynn told me about your problem," Albert reminded him. The older adult took a seat next to his grandson. "When your mom and dad decided to have a big family, I warned them about the sibling rivalries that will occur. Nevertheless, it was not something the kids could work out for themselves." Lincoln still held his head down. "Like your parents, I never played favorites even with your sister's many achievements."

Lincoln looked at his artwork; he drew as Albert did the same. "Would this be my achievement?" Lincoln asked with uncertainty.

"I don't know kiddo; you'd be surprised how many people's art makes it into an industry of some sort."

"You think so?"

"I know so kiddo. There is no such thing as a person without skills. Just because your sisters found their passions, does not mean you can. And so long as you have time on your side, it will bloom eventually."

"I don't know Pop-pop."

Albert handed Lincoln's artwork back. "This is only the start of what you are capable of, so go from there. Work hard at that passion, not just for your family, but yourself."

Lincoln gave a small smile to his grandpa. It may not have been a big happy face, yet it was a start. The boy leaned onto his grandfather's chest as Albert held him close. Then soon, Lincoln embraced his Pop-pop back, feeling emotional comfort.

"No matter what you win or don't win, I'll always be proud of my grandchildren," Albert told Lincoln. "And don't forget to make up with your sisters when this is all over."

"Yeah, I got it," Lincoln knew.

Lincoln took his destination somewhere else. Along his travels, the boy accidentally crashed into someone. While both on the ground, the loud child helped the person back on her feet.

"I'm so sorry," He said, helping up the person, then discovered a familiar face.

"It's alright," the emo individual brushed off herself. The person was the girl Luan had known. Upon recognition, she asked, "Hey, aren't you that idiot that nearly ruin my part with your stupid clown acts?"

Lincoln did not want an unfortunate reminder. "Unfortunately," he said in a sad tone. Immediately, Lincoln brushed off the comment and proceeded to pick up his drawing paper.

Usually, she did not care for predicaments like this, but Lincoln sad expression was enough to pull her heartstrings, assisting Lincoln. Lincoln's emo face was enough to put her face to shame. Like everyone else, Maggie became impressed with the artistic skills.

"Did you draw all of this?" Maggie asks Lincoln.

Lincoln received the papers from Maggie. "Yeah, what about it?"

"They are quite nice," Maggie stammered for a compliment as she was usually not the happy type.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Lincoln replied with surprise that Maggie said something kind to him. At the least, he was expecting another insult.

"Maybe you should consider this," Maggie gave Lincoln a flyer for an art contest. "I'm sure you'll be a shoo-in. Art can express many things."

Those words echoed through Lincoln's head. The same words told by Frida Casagrande. Hesitant as he was at first, figured it could not hurt, considering how many people praise his art. Lincoln envisioned having a trophy to call his own. Thus he would not feel like the less talented one. It's an opportunity calling to his door in hopes to get him out of this funk.

When the afternoon came to a close, Lincoln returned home. The first place, he arrived was the fridge, grabbing a drink. Before the middle-child turned his back, the emo sister appeared behind, once again causing Lincoln shrieked.

"For crying out loud Lucy, can't you appear in front of people for a change?" Lincoln complained.

"Sorry, Lincoln, but I need a word that rhymes with love," Lucy suggested.

"Working on your poems again, huh?" Lincoln suspected. "How about above?"

"Thanks; and it's for something else, but don't worry, it's not for a contest."

"Whatever you say Lucy, good luck on whatever you are doing," Lincoln said casually walking away. Like Lola, Lucy could sense bitterness and sadness in her brother. They had to do something.

* * *

Saturday noon, Lincoln went to his destination. As instructed, travels took him to Royal Woods Homeless Shelter. He wondered what the personal favor was. It indeed showed from all the homeless people lined up. It was like lining up for a concert.

"Lincoln, over here," The substitute teacher called out. Lincoln walked over to the teacher. "There is work to be done," She said, handing out an apron and hairnet.

As told, Lincoln got a clear idea of what was going on. Right by Ms. Dimartino, he assisted in soup, serving for the unfortunate. From each expression, it reminded the boy of the man and him being homeless.

"Once in a while, I like to volunteer my time to help the unfortunate," Ms. Dimartino told Lincoln. "My grandfather was also homeless."

Lincoln watched as the substitute gave a hopeful smile to the homeless she served. If only Lincoln could be like that. Still, he did do his best to be optimistic. At least, Lincoln barely saw his homeless self in these people. There were a large group of homeless men and women. All of them once had something, but now have nothing.

In the meantime, while Lincoln was busy doing his own thing, the loud sisters occupied themselves at the nearby mall. Each of them did their part in keeping Lincoln in suspense as he thought that his sisters were weird again. Still, the only boy did not bother to pry.

Outside the trip to the mall, Lana caught a whiff of ascent. The tomboy curiosity grew as she spotted Lincoln. Soon the girls followed wondering about the middle-child. They hope Lincoln was not up to anything harmful.

"Here you go sir," Lincoln said, serving the plate for the man. When Lincoln gave a hopeful smile, the homeless smiled back.

"That man will be in my prayers," Ms. Dimartino hoped.

"How can a university professor like him be homeless?" Lincoln asked curiously looking at the man.

"Sometimes unfortunate things just happen with no rhyme or reason Lincoln," Ms. Dimartino answered in a sympathetic tone.

"Lincoln!" The loud girls cried, seeing their brother.

"Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" He inquired. "Don't you have that discount sale at the mall?"

"Yeah we did, but unfortunately Leni got soon mixed up with noon and soon," Lori had told.

"I thought they were the same word," Leni said, causing the sisters to slap their foreheads at Leni's cluelessness.

"I see, that's too bad."

"So what are you doing?"

Ms. Dimartino placed her hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Oh my little helper is just assisting me for today, no strings attached."

"Sweet, can we help?" Luna asked.

"Of course, the more, the merrier," Ms. Dimartino invited.

"Ugh, feeding dirty people is not how I want to spend my Saturday." Lola groaned in disgust.

Lincoln nudged Lola and handed her an apron. "Hey be nice Lola, not a lot of them are here because of bad choices, like it or not homeless people are still people."

"Lincoln's right Lola, and it's our job to give them help so they can get back on their feet," Lori put on her apron and hair nodding in agreement.

The sisters joined Lincoln and Ms. Dimartino, the people in need. For boredom and Lincoln's sake, the girls helped Lincoln from giving them donated clothes and blankets to assist in the kitchen. Like Lincoln, they are providing their best optimistic attitudes they could. With the adverse circumstances that surrounded them, the unfortunate was going to need all the faith they could.

Also, Lincoln had to keep track of his sisters from doing anything foolish. That list would include him and the girls stopping Lana a few times from eating the soup made for the poor, as well as preventing Lisa from doing crazy experiments, or Lola and Leni critiquing their dirty clothes. Then again, perhaps Lincoln was overthinking, surely his sisters could not be insensitive. They have done some charity work before

After the job was complete, Lincoln told the girls to go home without as needing to make one last stop. He decided to revisit the homeless man, only to find him not at his usual spot. Lincoln hoped nothing terrible happened to the poor guy. Instead, Lincoln saw the man across the street. Didn't know how long the homeless man was there as he kept staring at the tech store. By the time Lincoln caught up, the Lincoln had noticed the homeless man had a different appearance.

Rather than the old raggedy clothes, the homeless man dressed in casual wear of a dress shirt and Khaki's pants. He also been shaved and got a nice clean haircut. Lincoln almost confused him for someone else by how clean the male looked.

"Hey; it's you," He greeted Lincoln.

"You're looking nice today," Lincoln complimented the man.

"Thanks, this was given to me by goodwill. It took a while, but I finally got a place to stay at temporary."

"That's great to hear Mr…" Lincoln tried to guess the name.

"Blendstone, Marcus Blendstone," He introduced offering a handshake. "I guess we are late with the introductions aren't we?"

"Lincoln Loud," Lincoln shook Marcus hand back.

"I thought a lot about what you said the other day and your right. Nothing is more important than family, which is why I'm planning on seeing my family, even if chances are they moved on without me. But I don't blame them if they did."

"I'm sure they will be happy to see you no matter what," Lincoln assured the man.

"Thanks, kid, I hope so too, it's been a long time," Marcus said. "Outside from that, I'm also getting myself back on my feet with job opportunities lined up for me, by starting somewhere and working my way up." Marcus looked at Lincoln. "You gave me hope kid, and for that I thank you."

Marcus offered Lincoln a fist bump, and Lincoln responded. "Don't live your life in misery, kid; you still got years ahead of you." As Marcus left, Lincoln looked back on the homeless man. By the way, the sun shines brightly upon him; it became clear the future was ahead of him. But like Lincoln, he just took it a few steps at a time.

When the white-haired child made it to his room, the first task was his art, but not before answering a phone call.

"Hey, Lincoln," Clyde greeted.

"Hey Clyde, what's up?" Lincoln said back.

"I know it's been a while, but I thought I'd come to check-in. How are you holding up, buddy?"

"I had a few bumps on the road, but other than that I'm fine," Lincoln replied, not wanting to be reminded of Rita's harsh actions. "I found something productive, and I saw a therapist. I met with Dr. Lopez."

"Really?" Clyde answered with surprise. "You met Dr. Lopez?"

"Yup, she is what you described, intelligent and wise. Now I can see why you and your family talk about her so much."

"Well I'm glad to hear your getting better Lincoln," Clyde responded. "Either way, I'll catch you later."

"Alright, talk to you again soon Clyde," Lincoln hung up the phone.

With the competition on his mind, he started to expand on the art. Whatever his thoughts popped up, Lincoln began to construct it on paper. It went from minutes to hours as he worked by himself with no interruptions from his sisters.

* * *

Throughout the day, the rockstar took in everything her best friend said about her faults. The reminders made Luna feel worse about herself. Nevertheless, it did not seem hopeless. As she told her brother, it was never too late for change, so perhaps it was time to follow her advice as she attended a meeting.

"Thank you for sharing with us Waldo, so who would like to go next?" The counselor announced.

Luna lifts her hand as she got permitted to stand. "Hello everyone, my name is Luna Loud," Luna stuttered a bit.

"Hi, Luna!" Everyone greeted in unison.

She cleared her throat. "I'm here today because I have a problem. It is a problem that caused a strain to my friends and family. Honestly, I don't know how to fix that problem, but I'm willing to start somewhere, and that is why I came here."

"Well you came to the right place, Luna, we're here to help each other in everyone's time of need," The counselor gave encouraging words. "And the first step among the process is admitting the problem, which is always the hardest step."

Like a good student, Luna stood around for the classes. The rockstar watched as each person had their own story to tell about addition. Some came of their own free will, others like Luna we're court-ordered. Never did Luna imagine that she would ever fall into that trap.

Luna could remember the day witnessing the disappointment on her son's face. She even had lashed out on Mickey which the rocker had regret. Fearing that her son would hate her, Luna kept her distance for a while. Where to begin on the list as she pondered with some coffee.

"It's good to see you here, mate," A voice came from behind. Luna turned around to see her old roadie, now older. The grey hairs were a clear sign. Luna spared no expense embracing Chuck as he hugged back.

"How are you feeling?" Luna asked.

"I'm on chemotherapy, but feeling hopeful," Chuck happily replied. "I'm not going down without a fight on this one."

Luna placed her hand on her roadie shoulder. "I'm glad to hear you're doing okay dude, I was worried."

"I'm more worried about you given your circumstances."

"That reminds me, thanks for bailing me out of jail again," Luna thanked.

Chunk nudge Luna's shoulder. "If you want to make it up to me, start by getting your act together, mate." Chunk lectured Luna, which she did not like, but endured it. "I meant what I said before. If I get another call about you in jail again, then you are on your own, got it?"

Luna nodded silently.

"You should give your son a call as well as Sam," Chunk concluded.

Luna had much to think about; from helping her brother to making amends with her best friend. She was fortunate to have Chunk. Even if Chunk was no longer her roadie, he was still a loyal friend.

Luna's next task was visiting her brother as each day she was happy that Lincoln's condition did not worsen. As she made it to the hospital room, Luna took a quick breath. When entered, Lincoln was wide awake. Funny how Luna thought he'd be asleep by this time.

Upon first glance, Luna greeted Lincoln. "Hey."

"Hey," Lincoln said back.

Luna took a seat on the bed. "How are you feeling bro?"

"Doctor says I should get discharged in a week, so nothing too serious," Lincoln sat up. "Aside from that, I never thought the dumpster food would taste better than hospital grub, and everything is so sugar-free like they think I'm a diabetic."

Luna gave a slight chuckle. "Well, lucky for you bro, I managed to smuggle you in a nice Burp-N-Burger," Luna pulled a wrapped burger from her jacket pocket.

"Thanks, sis, your the best. It's nice to know that you still have my back."

"Bro, we are family, I'll always have your back no matter what," Luna promise, covering Lincoln's hand.

As they exchanged smiles, there was a moment of silence. When a subject came to mind, Lincoln started. "So how is your son like?"

"Like you, Mick is creative and ambitious. He has quite the imagination like you had when you were little," Luna explained. "He's so adorable. I think about snuggling him in my sleep."

"You two must be close," Lincoln thought.

"We sure are," Luna's happy face started to transform into a frown. "At least for a while."

"What do you mean?"

Luna took a sad sigh. "Bro; I made some mistakes."

"Luna I'm sure whatever it is can't amount to my many misfortunes."

Luna shook her head. "You don't understand bro. I messed up big time on my friends and family, my son," Luna cried.

Now the homeless loud started to feel empathy for his sister. Lincoln covered his hand over Luna's. Suddenly, Lincoln felt like his problem was small compared to Luna. Then again, it has been years since contact with his sister or his family. Luna snorted as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Like you told me Luna; it's never too late to start over," Lincoln reminded. The same advice she gave him before.

"Yeah, it's not," Luna sobbed a bit. "I got my things to work out, but I'll come to revisit you. Stay strong little bro," Luna gave Lincoln a peck on the forehead as she left.

For the next few hours, Luna occupied the television in her room. After that, she spent another hour talking on the phone with her son. Just hearing Mick's voice was enough to put a smile on Luna's face. Luna only wished that happiness was also on the inside.

Over time spent, Luna sent Sam a text asking to meet up. There was no immediate response. The rocker gave it a few more minutes, still nothing. Luna knew there was conflict between them, not that she could not blame her.

Luna gave up around midnight. She fell into slumberland, hoping the next day will be better. Before a dream could occur, there were knocks on the door. The beats grew louder by every non-response. It was disturbing her sleep.

"Damnit! Who the hell is knocking on my damn door at this hour?" Luna got annoyed. She was ready to give the visitor a piece of her mind.

Upon opening, Luna froze on sight as Sam was revealed to be at the door.

"Sam," Luna said with surprise.

"Hey Lunes, long time," Sam greeted awkwardly.

The two rockin females looked the opposite direction thinking where to start with this encounter. Since it had been years, the awkwardness only increased. The first couple of seconds went from stuttering to silence.

Luna swallow spits nervously. "So how is everything?" Luna asked with hesitation as her mouth went dry.

"Pretty good, I suppose," Sam answered back also tense.

The girls rotated their heads towards each other. As their eyes met, the barrier got broken. "I see you got your haircut, pretty cool," Luna paid a compliment.

"Thanks, although keeping the blue streak was a tall order," Sam twirled her hair strands. "So how is your son?"

"He's good, he's with his aunt and grandparents, but we will see each other soon. I've been missing that little dude," Luna puffed out smoke.

"I'm sure he's been missing you too Lunes," Sam encouraged with a hand on Luna's back. "Unlike his father, you're the only person in his life."

"Speaking of which, how about you found anyone special?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, he's from the band, you remember George?" Sam answered.

"Really? You two are dating?" Luna inquired with surprise.

"Yep, we have been for years, sorry Lunes."

Luna shook her head, don't apologize, I'm happy for you," Luna said with both happiness and disappointment. Luna blew out more smoke from her vape pen. Sam noticed the fruity smoking.

"So, what is that?" Sam wondered.

"Oh this is a Vape Pen, it's similar to smoking but quite different," Luna continued to blow out smoke. "From what I experienced, it certainly hassles and stress-free as normal cigarettes."

"Really?"

"You want to give it a try?" Luna inquired offering her Vape Pen.

Sam was a big fan of cigarettes as she looked at the pen cautiously. Still, if Luna was able to put up with vaping, so shall Sam. Sam grasps the vape pen. As she inhaled the juice, Sam felt her throat tickle. The stuff caused her to cough out the smoke. Luna laughed as this was natural for any new smokers. To Sam, it seems harmless.

After the last cough, Sam caught her breath. "Sorry Lunes, I guess Vaping is…"

"Not one of your things," Luna assumed.

"Well yeah," Sam blush with embarrassment.

"Just like old times," Luna reminisced.

When the old memory came into Sam's head, she laughed. Whether it was the irony or the reunion, Luna and Sam could not stop laughing. Even after all these years, that part of them did not change. Throughout the day, the conversation continued. The two talked about the old times, ranging from high school to college. Each reminder would lead to laughter and groans. They were like a dynamic duo. With them together, Luna and Sam felt that they could tackle any obstacle.

Even if Sam had found someone else, Luna would not take her eyes off the blue streak blonde. No matter how much of those feelings were there, things were not the way they were anymore. Nevertheless, with Sam here, Luna felt a bright light shined upon her. Then again, maybe it could have been the streetlight above them.

While realizing her current situation, Luna's smile disappeared. "Sam," Luna called, causing the blonde to turn to Luna. "I'm sorry." Sam lifted a curious eyebrow. "I know it may not mean much now, but I am trying to change. It's just with my homeless brother and all; it's taking some time."

Sam placed her hands on Luna's hands. "I know Lunes, and the fact that you are making an effort makes me happy."

"I just want us to be friends again."

"I will always be your friend Lunes, despite our differences," Sam guaranteed. "Look, I know it's going to be a tough sell, but I will try to convince the others to let you back in. The band is not the same without you."

Luna gave a tearful smile.

"I gotta get back," Sam checked her watch. "But it was good to see you again, Lunes. And I hope your brother gets better."

"Thanks, Sam," Luna wiped away the tears. As they faced each other, Luna and Sam gave a farewell hug.

"I'll be waiting for you, Lunes," Sam said among the embrace.

The loudest child watched as Sam left her, serving as a hopeful reminder of what she needed. As she clenched her fist, Luna's path became very clear. Sure it was going to take some time but was not going to let that stop her. When she fell back into her room, Lunes gave her son a call.

* * *

After resting a bit, Lincoln resumed his work. Now that the contest was on his mind, it gave him a reason to work hard. The boy did not stop, nor could he with the number of ideas in his head. As Lincoln figured out that he was out of the water, he stepped out to get some. On his travels, Lincoln did not see that the twins were by his door, doing their routine check-up. By how Lincoln paid no attention to the twins, it seems like the boy was getting healthy.

Little did Lincoln know one of the sisters peeked through the crack door. Once again, doing their check-up on the middle-child. While Lucy saw Lincoln occupied, she took off. As the emo met up with the sisters, she gave her status report.

When reported back to the other sisters, their task became apparent.

"Is the project ready? Lori inquired.

"Affirmative eldest sibling, it is good to go," Lisa ensured.

"Excellent, then this will help Lincoln," Lori stated.


End file.
